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Stimulus Intensity and Recency Contrasts and Orienting Response Strength
Author(s) -
Edwards David C.
Publication year - 1974
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.1469-8986.1974.tb01110.x
Subject(s) - habituation , interstimulus interval , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , orienting response , audiology , skin conductance , developmental psychology , neuroscience , cognitive psychology , stimulation , medicine , biomedical engineering
Several groups of 30 college students heard sequences of noise pulses. Skin conductance response (SCR) magnitudes revealed that intensity and recency effects remain effective during habituation trials. Habituation of the SCR magnitude occurred to stimuli that were presented in a pattern composed of two intensities and to stimuli in a pattern of two interstimulus intervals though the specific differential effects of level of intensity and of recency remained clearly evident. There appeared further an enhancement of response magnitude to intense stimuli (an apparent contrast effect) when they were presented in that pattern of two intensities and compared to response to suitable control sequences. After significant but not complete habituation occurred, a reduction in stimulus intensity or of interstimulus interval reduced SCR magnitude further. The findings were discussed as supplements to Sokolov's habituation theory.