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Prediction of the Informational and Motivational Properties of “Right‐Wrong” Knowledge of Results With the Skin Resistance Response
Author(s) -
Grilly David M.
Publication year - 1978
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.1469-8986.1978.tb03100.x
Subject(s) - habituation , psychology , stimulus (psychology) , knowledge of results , audiology , cognitive psychology , social psychology , developmental psychology , task (project management) , neuroscience , medicine , management , economics
The magnitude and rate of habituation of the skin resistance response (SRR) to extrinsic “right‐wrong” knowledge of results (KR) were used to assess the KR's motivational and informational properties in delayed matching of visual patterns. Two experimental groups of 20 college students each received KR which was either contingent or non‐contingent upon their actual choices, and two control groups of 10 subjects each received no KR. The magnitude of the SRR elicited was found to be higher to “right” than “wrong” KR stimuli but was not affected by correctness of the subjects' choices. The relative rate of SRR habituation was rapid when a low frequency of “right” KR stimuli was provided and the KR stimuli were not contingent upon the subjects' choices, but it was slow if either a high frequency of “right” KR stimuli were provided or the KR stimuli were contingent upon the subjects' choices. The results indicated that the KR stimuli had motivational properties but very little informational value. It was concluded that the SRR may be useful in assessing the reinforcing value of a feedback stimulus in terms of its motivational and informational qualities independently from its effects on task performance.