Overextinction of the orienting reaction

Sokolov’s 1963 report of return of the orienting reaction (OR) to repeated stimulus presentations following habituation was examined in 18 S’s using the galvanic skin response (GSR) component of the OR and an auditory stimulus of 60 db intensity and 1000 cps. Both group and individual S data analysis indicated a return of the OR which habituated quickly. The number of stimulus presentations to the OR return point showed an inverse relationship to rate of initial OR habituation for individual S’s.