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Overhabituation and Dishabituation Responses as a Function of Stimulus Intensity and Amount of Overhabituation Training
Author(s) -
Smith Barry D.,
Council James
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.tb03102.x
Subject(s) - habituation , stimulus (psychology) , psychology , audiology , auditory stimuli , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , perception , neuroscience , medicine
Several important issues regarding overhabituation and its effects have been raised. Of particular interest are the effects of amount of overhabituation on responses during overhabituation, the existence of important individual differences in response frequency and amplitude during overhabituation, and the effect of varied amounts of overhabituation training and of stimulus intensity on test and dishabituation response amplitudes. In the present study, each of 108 subjects was randomly assigned to one of three overhabituation exposure conditions (60, 120, or 180 trials) and one of two auditory stimulus intensities (60 or 85 dB). After reaching a phasic electrodermal habituation criterion, each subject received the appropriate number of overhabituation presentations of the standard stimulus (SS), followed by a test stimulus and an additional SS (the dishabituation stimulus). Results showed significantly higher frequencies and amplitudes of electrodermal responses to tonal stimuli with increasing numbers of overhabituation trials, but no significant changes over trial blocks. Individual differences were found. Subjects in a group defined by numerous overhabituation responses showed slower habituation, larger responses and higher frequencies of nonspecific responses during overhabituation, and larger test responses. Finally, the amplitude of test responses increased with increasing length of overhabituation and with increased intensity.