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AUTONOMIC RESPONSIVITY AND REACTION TIME UNDER FIXED AND VARIABLE SIGNAL SCHEDULES
Author(s) -
Andreassi J. L.,
Rapisardi S. C.,
Whalen P. M.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1969.tb02884.x
Subject(s) - psychology , skin conductance , audiology , schedule , expectancy theory , interval (graph theory) , developmental psychology , social psychology , mathematics , computer science , combinatorics , medicine , biomedical engineering , operating system
Heart rate (HR), palmar skin conductance (PSC), galvanic skin responses (GSRs), and reaction time (RT) were measured while S s detected critical signals which occurred at either fixed or variable intervals. S s were required to make responses in order to detect the signals. The results showed that: (1) RT was significantly faster with a fixed signal schedule; (2) HR was significantly higher with a variable interval (VI) schedule than with the fixed interval (FI); (3) PSC and GSRs were significantly higher with FI than with VI. It was suggested that the term “improved expectancies” (Adams & Boulter, 1964) he adopted to explain the reason for superior RT performance with FI patterning. The findings concerning HR were interpreted within the framework of the Lacey et al. concept (Lacey, Kagan, Lacey, & Moss, 1963) that acceleration of HR occurs in tasks involving cognitive activities, while deceleration is observed in situations involving primarily perceptual functioning. It was suggested that PSC and GSRs represent physiological correlates of expectancy, and that their elevated level may reflect readiness to respond when critical signals occur at regular intervals.