Disinhibition in GSR conditioning as a function of the number of CS-UCS trials and temporal location of the novel stimulus.

Abstract

A study of GSR (gal-vanic skin response) magnitude to a novel stimulus (NS) presented during the CS-UCS (conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus) interval after varying numbers of conditioning trials at 5 points in the CS-UCS interval. Three hundred sophomores, in 6 groups of 50, received either 0, 1, 2, 10, 25, or 50 conditioning trials with a 7. 5-sec. CS (visual) and a shock UCS. Following training the NS (auditory) was presented with the CS at 5 points in the CS-UCS interval. The GSR to the CS + NS increased in negatively accelerated fashion as a function of N, while the GSR to the CS alone went up and, then went down. The temporal function of the GSR to the NS was flat prior to any conditioning, negative early in conditioning, and positive after 25 and 50 trials. These results were interpreted to mean that inhibition of delay develops during conditioning so that the focal point of excitation in the CS-UCS interval gradually shifts during conditioning from a point near the onset of the CS to a point near the time of delivery of the UCS.