Physiological and motor responses to a regularly recurring sound: a study in monotony.

Abstract

Human subjects were exposed to a 60 cycle tone which undulated in intensity at periods varying from 10-25 per min. Graphic records were made of changes in respiration, readings were taken of changes in pulse and palmar skin resistance, and observations were made of such skeletal responses as head bobbing, counting, foot tapping, and eye blinking. The respiration rate of the subjects tended to approximate that of the undulating tone. When the undulations were faster than the initial breathing rate, the latter became faster; when the undulating rate was slower, the breathing tended to become slower. There was a tendency on the part of subjects to relax when they were stimulated with the undulating tone whether the undulations were slower or faster than the normal breathing rate. In addition, the majority of subjects made some sort of skeletal movement. These responses and the accompanying relaxation were independent of any verbal suggestion of relaxation.