Conditioned Diuresis in Man: Effects of Altered Environment, Subjective State, and Conditioning Experience

Abstract

It has been possible to produce water diuresis in human subjects by the repetition of certain portions of a sequence which had repeatedly accompanied the ingestion of 750-cc. water loads. The environment used during conditioning was important for elicitation of the response. "Anticipatory" responses rarely occurred under conditions of regular reinforcement, but when the subjects became aroused during the experiments, or when schedules of reinforcement were intermittent, anticipatory responses occurred preditably. Simple conditioned responses were similarly augmented by these factors. Subjective preception of affective arousal was not necessary for augmented response magnitude to occur under the altered conditioning schedules. Urinary composition was characteristic of reduced antidiuretic hormone levels. An hormonal response can thus be established in the human to previously neutral stimuli and appears subject to augmentation or inhibition by alterations in the subject''s environment, his state of arousal, and the pattern of recent experimental routine.