Orienting response and discrimination conditioning.

Abstract

Abstract The effects of habituation or no habituation trials, alternating and random pattern of CS+ and CS− presentations, and constant and variable intertrial intervals were observed on both rate and amount of discrimination conditioning of both first and second interval galvanic skin responses in 96 students. Red and green lights of 0.5 sec duration served as CSs. Unconditioned stimulus was a 0.5 sec shock. CS-UCS interval was 5.0 sec. Both variation in orienting response magnitude and discrimination conditioning were demonstrated. However, experimentally induced variation in orienting response magnitude did not interact with either rate or amount of discrimination conditioning. CS habituation trials decreased magnitude of responding nondifferentially to both CS+ and CS− over early acquisition trials when compared with magnitude of responding of the group not receiving CS habituation trials. Similarly, the constant ITI group gave smaller responses to both CS+ and CS− than did the variable ITI group. No differences in magnitude of response between alternating and random stimulus presentation groups were found.