ANTICIPATORY AND PREPARATORY ELECTRODERMAL BEHAVIOR IN PAIRED STIMULATION SITUATIONS

Abstract

Electrodermal indicators of anticipation and preparation accompanying paired stimulation are divided into three classes: (1) features of responding between onsets of the stimuli; (2) changes in response to the second stimulus which occur only when the first stimulus is present; and (3) responses at the point where the response to the second stimulus would occur but which are observed in the absence of the second stimulus. The first two classes are elaborated here. Two experiments explore responses in the interstimulus interval. The number of such responses, their probability of occurrence, and the magnitudes of changes, identified either by ordinal number of occurrence or latency, all show differential behavior in the form of reinforcement effects (pairing vs nonpairing) and trace‐delay conditioning differences. Preparatory responses of the second class are illustrated by phenomena from conditioning studies, namely UCR diminution and perceptual disparity responding. The data are interpreted as demonstrating the signal character of the first stimulus which sets or prepares the individual for receipt of the second stimulus. Copyright © 1969, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved