220.
The present study was conducted to demonstrate classic conditioning in electrodermal (ED) and heart rate (HR) responses by
using a nonaversive reaction time (RT) task as unconditional stimulus (US). Three groups of 12 subjects each were studied
to test the efficacy of this US procedure by varying the essential components of the RT task-US between groups. Eight seconds
differential delay conditioning was applied in each group. Simple geometric features (square, cross) displayed on a TV screen
were used as CS+ and CS−. RT task consisted of a nonaversive tone (72 dBA, 1000 or 1200 Hz) and a motor response (pressing
a button with the left index finger). Subjects were asked to respond as soon as the tone stimulus was presented. The three
groups received different stimulus sequences during the 16-trial acquisition phase only. In one group (Group C1), CS+ was
followed by a tone to which subjects were to respond, whereas CS− was not followed by a tone. Similarly, in a second group
(Group H), CS+ was followed by a tone, whereas CS− was not; however, subjects of Group H (habituation group) were not required
to respond to the tone. In a third group, (Group C2) CS+ was followed by a tone to which subjects were to respond, while CS−
was followed by a different tone requiring no response. According to analysis of Group C1 data, differential conditioning
was obtained in each response measure. Group H displayed habituation in each response measure obtained. In Group C2, differential
conditioning was obtained in the second latency window of ED responses only. In all trials, first-interval anticipatory ED
responses and HR responses did occur during acquisition, but were not differentiated with respect to the CS conditions. Although
the results of Group C2 need further exploration, differential conditioning of HR and in all latency windows of ED responses
was demonstrated by the use of a nonaversive RT task as US.
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