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AVOIDANCE CONDITIONING OF THE GSR: NATURE OF THE RESPONSE
Author(s) -
Schell Anne M.,
Grings William W.
Publication year - 1970
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.1469-8986.1970.tb01765.x
Subject(s) - psychology , arousal , conditioning , avoidance response , audiology , skin conductance , shock (circulatory) , developmental psychology , avoidance learning , heart rate , social psychology , neuroscience , statistics , medicine , blood pressure , mathematics , biomedical engineering
The effects of avoidance conditioning of the GSR on HR responses were investigated. Seven Ss were allowed to avoid a shock if their GSR during a preceding 5.0 sec light was greater than a criterion magnitude. Each avoidance S had a yoked‐control partner who received exactly the same series of shocked and nonshocked trials, regardless of his own GSR behavior. Sixty trials were given. Avoidance Ss gave significantly larger GSRs and cardiac deceleration took place at a significantly greater rate in the avoidance group. The results were interpreted as supporting the conclusion that when an avoidance paradigm is used to modify a particular autonomic response, the effects extend to other autonomic arousal or anticipatory responses. Each S was questioned in a post‐training interview about his awareness of means of avoiding the shock. No S was able to verbalize any method that could be used to prevent shock from occurring.