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Expectancy versus primary affect as a determinant of responding
266
D. Papakostopoulos,
ed. / Psychophysiology
Society abstracts, i 981
subject to considerable individual differences (e.g. Brooker and Donald, 1980). The question that remains seems to be how overwhelming this contamination is, and whether it is worth trying to assess cortical activity using this methodology. The present experiment involved 24 subjects, equally represented by left and right-handers, and males and females, who either spo,ke the same word 25 times, or chose a different word every time. A repeated measures design was avoided in order to accommodate the considerable individual differences between subjects that is usually reported. Triggering was by speech sound. Confidence intervals around each average of 25 epochs of 800 msec preceding triggering were calculated on-line, so that averages with greater than 10 microvolt 95% confidence limits were automatically rejected, and the average taken again. Despite great individual differences, analysis of variance of 200 msec blocks of EEG showed that negativity preceding generated words occurred earlier than preceding repeated words, and asymmetry in EEG was found to be dependent on handedness, occurring frontally in females, centrally in males. It is suggested that these task-related differences preceding speech, and asymmetries associated with handedness, provide evidence that these potentials are not irretrievably contaminated by movement and respiratory artefacts.
Reference Brooker, B.H. and Donald, human EEG asymmetries
EXPECTANCY
M.W. (1980). Contribution of the speech musculature prior to vocalization Brain and Language, 9, 2266245.
VERSUS
PRIMARY
to apparent
AFFECT AS A DETERMINANT
OF RESPONDING
Irene MARTIN Psychology Department,
Institute of Psychiatry.
London. U.K.
A.B. LEVEY MRC
Unit in Clinical Psychiatry,
Gruylingwell Hospital,
Chrchester, Sussex,
U.K.
This paper refers to the controversy over the role of awareness as a determinant of responding; if subjects have information about the occurrence of environmental events, the question is whether such knowledge can modulate
D. Papakostopoulos,
ed. / Psychophysiology
Society abstracts, 1981
261
behavioural and psychophysiological responding. Four classical eyelid conditioning experiments deal with subjects reported awareness of the CS-UCS relationship and of CS-UCS sequences, and test the effects of awareness on CR occurrence. The first two experiments (N = 160; N = 86) were designed to investigate personality and conditioning interactions; they were identical in reinforcement schedule but one employed an airpuff UCS, the other a paraorbital shock UCS. Awareness of the CS-UCS relationship was assessed by means of post-experimental questionnaire. Chi square analyses tested the association between awareness and total CR frequency, blocks of CRs, and trial on which the first CR appeared. Results were uniformly non-significant. Correlations between personality and awareness were also non-significant. The third and fourth experiments were designed to manipulate subjects awareness of the reinforcement sequence. Experiment 3 used the sequence: CS-UCS, CS-UCS, CS alone, to a total of 48 trials. Experiment 4 was similar but used a more complex sequence and also included concomitant recordings of skin resistance. Each contained 3 groups, one instructed as to the exact sequence, one asked to guess the sequence, and one given no information. It was reasoned that if cognitive awareness were the factor determining responding subjects who were fully aware of the reinforcement sequence would not respond on unreinforced trials. If unmediated conditioning occurred, subjects would be unable to withhold responses on unreinforced trials. Results again were non-significant, but with one exception. Subjects in the fully instructed group of Experiment 4 did show significantly less responding ( p .=z0.05) on unreinforced trials. The conclusion is that in this kind of conditioning paradigm, information and knowledge of stimulus relations provide the subject with only minimal control of his responding.
2. SCIENCE FAIR PAPERS SIMPLE STRUCTURE FACTORS
AND REPLICATION
OF EEC FREQUENCY
Burghard ANDRESEN, and Eckhard IRRGANG
Gerhard
Eckart THOM
Unioersitiitskrunkenhaus,
Psychiatric,
STEMMLER,
D-2 Hamburg
20, F.R.G.
D. Papakostopoulos,
ed. / Psychophysiology
Society abstracts, i 981
subject to considerable individual differences (e.g. Brooker and Donald, 1980). The question that remains seems to be how overwhelming this contamination is, and whether it is worth trying to assess cortical activity using this methodology. The present experiment involved 24 subjects, equally represented by left and right-handers, and males and females, who either spo,ke the same word 25 times, or chose a different word every time. A repeated measures design was avoided in order to accommodate the considerable individual differences between subjects that is usually reported. Triggering was by speech sound. Confidence intervals around each average of 25 epochs of 800 msec preceding triggering were calculated on-line, so that averages with greater than 10 microvolt 95% confidence limits were automatically rejected, and the average taken again. Despite great individual differences, analysis of variance of 200 msec blocks of EEG showed that negativity preceding generated words occurred earlier than preceding repeated words, and asymmetry in EEG was found to be dependent on handedness, occurring frontally in females, centrally in males. It is suggested that these task-related differences preceding speech, and asymmetries associated with handedness, provide evidence that these potentials are not irretrievably contaminated by movement and respiratory artefacts.
Reference Brooker, B.H. and Donald, human EEG asymmetries
EXPECTANCY
M.W. (1980). Contribution of the speech musculature prior to vocalization Brain and Language, 9, 2266245.
VERSUS
PRIMARY
to apparent
AFFECT AS A DETERMINANT
OF RESPONDING
Irene MARTIN Psychology Department,
Institute of Psychiatry.
London. U.K.
A.B. LEVEY MRC
Unit in Clinical Psychiatry,
Gruylingwell Hospital,
Chrchester, Sussex,
U.K.
This paper refers to the controversy over the role of awareness as a determinant of responding; if subjects have information about the occurrence of environmental events, the question is whether such knowledge can modulate
D. Papakostopoulos,
ed. / Psychophysiology
Society abstracts, 1981
261
behavioural and psychophysiological responding. Four classical eyelid conditioning experiments deal with subjects reported awareness of the CS-UCS relationship and of CS-UCS sequences, and test the effects of awareness on CR occurrence. The first two experiments (N = 160; N = 86) were designed to investigate personality and conditioning interactions; they were identical in reinforcement schedule but one employed an airpuff UCS, the other a paraorbital shock UCS. Awareness of the CS-UCS relationship was assessed by means of post-experimental questionnaire. Chi square analyses tested the association between awareness and total CR frequency, blocks of CRs, and trial on which the first CR appeared. Results were uniformly non-significant. Correlations between personality and awareness were also non-significant. The third and fourth experiments were designed to manipulate subjects awareness of the reinforcement sequence. Experiment 3 used the sequence: CS-UCS, CS-UCS, CS alone, to a total of 48 trials. Experiment 4 was similar but used a more complex sequence and also included concomitant recordings of skin resistance. Each contained 3 groups, one instructed as to the exact sequence, one asked to guess the sequence, and one given no information. It was reasoned that if cognitive awareness were the factor determining responding subjects who were fully aware of the reinforcement sequence would not respond on unreinforced trials. If unmediated conditioning occurred, subjects would be unable to withhold responses on unreinforced trials. Results again were non-significant, but with one exception. Subjects in the fully instructed group of Experiment 4 did show significantly less responding ( p .=z0.05) on unreinforced trials. The conclusion is that in this kind of conditioning paradigm, information and knowledge of stimulus relations provide the subject with only minimal control of his responding.
2. SCIENCE FAIR PAPERS SIMPLE STRUCTURE FACTORS
AND REPLICATION
OF EEC FREQUENCY
Burghard ANDRESEN, and Eckhard IRRGANG
Gerhard
Eckart THOM
Unioersitiitskrunkenhaus,
Psychiatric,
STEMMLER,
D-2 Hamburg
20, F.R.G.