bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Electrodermal Lability and Payoff Instructions on Vigilance Performance
Authors: Sostek Andrew J. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe psychophysiologically based personality dimension of electrodermal lability has been related to vigilance performance. The present study investigated this effect basing lability on spontaneous electrodermal fluctuations and habituation of the electrodermal orienting response, and attempted to modify performance using monetary payoffs. In an auditory vigilance task, detections and sensitivity (d′) declined across blocks, and payoffs influenced detections, commission errors, d′, and response bias in the expected directions. Although there were no main effects for spontaneous lability, habituation labiles had higher log false alarm rates, lower response bias and tended to detect more signals. Using either lability criterion, labiles did not demonstrate a vigilance decrement and were more responsive than stabiles to payoff instructions. Lability based on habituation rate was therefore more clearly related to vigilance performance than lability based on spontaneous fluctuations.
Autonomic and Somatic Responses Associated With Performance of the Embedded Figures Test
Authors: McCanne Thomas R. , Hathaway Kate M. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTHeart rate, skin potential, respiratory rate, and electromyographic activity from the biceps muscle were monitored while subjects performed the Embedded Figures Test. Increases in the phasic and tonic components of skin potential responding and in respiratory rate were noted during the presentation of embedded‐figure stimuli. A bidirectional change in heart rate consisting of an initial decrease followed by an increase was noted during the stimuli. In addition, differential changes in heart rate, skin potential phasic responding, and biceps muscle tension occurred preceding correctly solved and unsolved problems. Lowered heart rate and lowered rates of biceps electromyographic activity were detected during the presentation of the simple figure of solved problems relative to unsolved problems. Lower rates of skin potential phasic responding were noted during the simple figure of solved problems (relative to unsolved problems) for field dependent subjects. For field independent subjects, this differential pattern of skin potential phasic responding was reversed. The results are discussed in terms of the theoretical positions formulated by the Laceys and by Obrist.
Electro‐oculographic Recording and Scoring of Smooth Pursuit and Saccadic Eye Tracking: A Parametric Study Using Monozygotic Twins
Authors: Iacono William G. , Lykken David T. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTFollowing reports that psychiatric patients and their relatives produced deviant oculomotion, new procedural and quantitative methods were developed and applied in a parametric study of tracking proficiency in 32 monozygotic twin pairs tested twice. Subjects tracked a spot of light across an oscilloscope screen. The target was driven sinusoidally at various frequencies for smooth pursuit tracking and by a modified square wave generator for saccadic tracking. Also included were a smooth pursuit test requiring subjects to “monitor” the aperiodic appearance of a hole in the center of the oscillating target and a psychomotor test requiring subjects to manually center a dot in a moving circle. For pursuit tracking, the electro‐oculogram (EOG) and target motion were fed to a computer programmed to calculate root‐mean‐square differences between EOG and target channels. The saccadic EOG was computer‐analyzed by measuring movement latencies.Performance on the various tasks was analyzed with emphasis on the effects of the monitor requirement, which dramatically reduced tracking error. Measures of retest reliability and twin concordance suggested that observed individual differences in performance on these tasks represent stable traits.
Cardiac‐Respiratory‐Somatic Relationships and Feedback Effects in a Multiple Session Heart Rate Control Experiment
Authors: Levenson Robert W. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTAn experiment addressing several unresolved issues in operant conditioning of heart rate (HR) in human subjects was performed. Cardiac‐respiratory relationships, cardiac‐somatic relationships, effects of biofeedback, and individual differences were examined in terms of their stability across multiple training sessions.Thirty subjects participated in 3 training sessions. Each session began with 4 trials of attempted HR change without feedback followed by 8 trials with “proportional” feedback of HR. On half the trials HR decrease was attempted while HR increase was attempted on the other half. Subjects were instructed to keep their respiration rate (RR) constant and not to engage in undue movement or muscle activity.Results indicated that subjects were able to produce significant HR increases and decreases from baseline levels, but these changes were accompanied by parallel changes in respiratory and somatic variables which persisted across sessions. Analysis of data from individual subjects was performed to explore the nature of individual differences in cardiac‐respiratory‐somatic patterns. The effects of biofeedback were unimpressive, suggesting at best a minor improvement in cardiac control with increased respiratory concomitance. Cardiac control, feedback effects, and cardiac‐somatic patterns were stable over sessions. There was evidence of some reduction in cardiac‐respiratory parallelism across sessions.
Attention and Vigilance: Performance and Skin Conductance Response Changes
Authors: Blakeslee Pat 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe skin conductance response component of the orienting reflex was used to measure changes in attention during vigilance performance in order to test several hypotheses which have related aspects of vigilance performance to the occurrence and habituation of orienting or observing responses. Subjects detected irregularly presented visual signals among similar visual events during two 30‐min tasks. Skin conductance responses were analyzed in epochs of time immediately preceding and following signals and in nonsignal‐related time epochs. Magnitudes of skin conductance responses declined in both signal‐related epochs (pre and post), but this decrement was correlated with performance changes only in the post‐signal epoch. There was no decrement in SCR magnitudes during the nonsignal‐related epochs. Skin conductance response magnitudes were significantly larger both before and after detected signals compared to misses. The data support the hypothesis that changes in vigilance performance over time are related to habituation of the orienting reflex evoked by signals. They also suggest that attentional processes preceding signals are related to successful detections.
Sex Differences in Task‐Dependent EEG Asymmetries
Authors: Trotman Sandra C. A. , Hammond Geoffrey R. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTDifferent patterns of lateralization of hemispheric function in the male and female brain have been proposed to account for sex differences in performance of linguistic and visuo‐spatial tasks. The present experiment was designed to determine whether task‐related asymmetries in suppression of the alpha rhythm differed between the sexes. Bilateral EEGs were recorded from 5 male and 5 female subjects while they performed 3 verbal‐numeric and 3 visuo‐spatial tasks. The proportion of right hemisphere alpha activity differed between these tasks for the male group but not for the female group. This result suggests a sex‐related difference in degree of lateralization of hemispheric function, with males having a more strict segregation of function.
P300 and Tracking Difficulty: Evidence For Multiple Resources in Dual‐Task Performance
Authors: Isreal Jack B. , Chesney Gregory L. , Wickens Christopher D. , Donchin Emanuel 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTSubjects performed a visual tracking task while performing a concurrent task in which tones were covertly counted. The P300 component of the event‐related potentials elicited by the tones was examined to determine the extent to which its amplitude was affected by variations in the forcing‐function bandwidth, or difficulty, of the tracking task. P300 decreased in magnitude when tones were counted in conjunction with the performance of the tracking task, relative to a single‐task counting condition. Increasing tracking difficulty failed to reduce P300 amplitude further. A second experiment obviated the possibility that movement‐related potentials caused the P300 attenuation resulting from the introduction of the tracking task. In Experiment 3, subjects performed a reaction time task in conjunction with tracking in order to establish the validity of the tracking difficulty manipulation. The results are interpreted in terms of a theory of functionally‐specific processing resources.
Sleep Following Sustained Exercise
Authors: Browman Carl P. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThis study was designed to assess the effect of individually calibrated sustained, static exercise on sleep. Normal subjects engaged in 80 min of static muscular activity at 40% of maximal levels. The exercise ended 2 hrs before bedtime. Standard polysomnographic measures were recorded during sleep. The time to sleep onset was significantly reduced relative to nonexercise nights. Other significant comparisons (increased slow‐wave sleep and decreased movement time after exercise) were confined to the period preceding the first REM episode. The results indicated that the type of exercise may be related to the effect on sleep latency. The data supported a restorative theory of slow‐wave sleep.
Energy Expenditure, Heart Rate, and Ambulation During Shock‐Avoidance Conditioning of Heart Rate Increases and Ambulation in Freely‐Moving Rats
Authors: Brener Jasper , Phillips Keith , Connally Samuel 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTUsing shock‐avoidance procedures with equivalent reinforcement criteria and in a running wheel situation, one group of rats was reinforced for heart rate increases (HR group) and another group for running (Amb group). Throughout 5 Habituation sessions and 5 Conditioning sessions, each 2 hrs in duration, continuous recordings were made of heart rate (HR), ambulation (Amb), and oxygen consumption (OC). The groups did not differ in their mean levels of HR, Amb or OC during Habituation or during Conditioning, although the introduction of the contingencies did elicit significant increases in the mean levels of all three variables. Amb group subjects distributed their activity more effectively in relation to the experimental contingencies, resulting in 5/6 subjects acquiring successful avoidance behavior against only 2/5 subjects in the HR group. Examination of individual subjects in both groups indicated that learners all exhibited very similar behavior profiles regardless of the contingencies applied during conditioning, and the same was true of nonlearners. Accordingly the data were regrouped for learners and nonlearners and reanalyzed. These analyses revealed that nonlearners differed from learners in the nature of the relationships they displayed between variations in HR, OC and Amb during both the preconditioning (habituation) and conditioning phases of the experiment. These differences are discussed together with data derived from additional conditioning sessions in which autonomic blocking agents (Propranolol and Methyl Atropine) were administered to a subgroup of learners.
Generalized Muscle Changes during EMG Relaxation Training
Authors: O'Connell Michael F. , Yeaton Susan P. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTTension levels from muscles in the forehead (frontalis) and back of the neck (semispinalis capitis) were simultaneously recorded during short term relaxation training with EMG feedback to assess the efficacy of this technique for producing generalized deep muscle relaxation. The degree of association between the activity of the two muscles was measured both with cross‐correlation coefficients and a linear regression technique. The two muscles showed a tendency to covary which did not change during training and was unrelated to which muscle was the source of feedback. These results provide evidence for a moderate degree of association between these muscle groups during relaxation training and suggest that EMG feedback may be more useful in producing general relaxation than was previously thought.
Pulse Transit Time as an Indicator of Arterial Blood Pressure
Authors: Geddes L. A. , Voelz M. H. , Babbs C. F. , Bourland J. D. , Tacker W. A. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe relationship between pulse‐arrival times and diastolic blood pressure was measured in 10 anesthetized dogs. The pulse‐arrival time was measured using the R‐wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) as a time reference. Pulse‐transit time was also measured between the carotid and femoral pulses. Blood pressure was raised with epinephrine injected intravenously and lowered with vagal stimulation. In all cases, pulse arrival and transit times decreased with an increase in diastolic pressure for diastolic pressures ranging from 15 to 250 mmHg. The correlation between pulse‐arrival time and pressure was poorest when the ECG was used as a timing reference. The best correlation was found with true pulse‐transit time and diastolic pressure. When pulse‐transit time was used to compute pulse‐wave velocity, it was found to increase nearly linearly with blood pressure. From 90–100 mmHg, the pulse‐wave velocity increased typically by slightly less than six percent.
Effects of Instructions and Contingency of Reinforcement on the Operant Conditioning of Human Phasic Heart Rate Change
Authors: Riley Diane M. , Furedy John J. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe aim of these studies was to determine the effects of instructions and reinforcement contingency on phasic heart rate (HR) change. In Exp. I, 36 human subjects were given 20 conditioning trials with a muscletensing task which produced a phasic HR acceleration. The experimental manipulation produced an elevated baseline and allowed for the observation of instructed HR change during exercise. A 2 × 2 between subject design varied instructions (to increase or decrease the phasic tension‐induced HR acceleration) and contingency (whether the verbal reinforcement was contingent on or unrelated to HR change) as factors. There was a significant instructional effect at the end of conditioning, with increase subjects producing more HR acceleration and decrease subjects less acceleration relative to pretrials. The instructional effect developed over trials and decrease subjects significantly improved with practice. There was no difference between contingent and non‐contingent groups in either of the two conditions in ability to change HR in the instructed direction. This study shows the usefulness of the elevated baseline technique for cardiac research. A second experiment demonstrated that, in subjects not instructed to attempt HR change, the phasic HR response did not change in magnitude over conditioning. The results of these studies indicate that subjects are able to control phasic HR during physical‐stress induced tension but biofeedback is not relevant for the production of such HR changes.
Adjustment of Circadian Rhythms and EEG Sleep Functions to Day and Night Sleep Among Permanent Nightworkers and Rotating Shiftworkers
Authors: Dahlgren Kerstin 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTSix workers on a permanent night work schedule and 6 workers on a weekly rotating day‐night shift schedule were compared with regard to the quantity and quality of sleep as measured by EEG recordings, sleep diaries, and subjective ratings of sleep. They were also compared regarding the degree of adjustment of the body temperature rhythm and self‐rated activation. The observations for all variables were made at the beginning, end, and after the end of the night shift period, and also in connection with free days. It was shown that compared to rotating shiftworkers the permanent nightworkers exhibited a better adjustment of the body temperature rhythm to night work and day sleep and also had fewer disturbances in sleep functions during day sleep. The rotating shiftworkers showed the poorest adjustment of the body temperature rhythm and sleep functions during day sleep at the beginning of the night shift week, whereas for permanent nightworkers corresponding, albeit less pronounced, disturbances were present in connection with night sleep. It was concluded that there was a close relationship between the degree of adjustment of the body temperature rhythm and EEG sleep functions, with a permanent night work schedule facilitating the adjustment to night work.
The Psychological Significance of Task‐Induced Tonic Changes in Somatic and Autonomic Activity
Authors: Svebak Sven , Dalen Knut , Storfjell Olger 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTTwo experiments tested the view that task‐induced autonomic‐somatic gradient parallelism does exist and that the steeper the physiological gradients, over the course of a task, the more involved the subject and the greater the effort. Thirty‐three male subjects performed easy and difficult versions of a continuous reaction time task. In both experiments the difficult task prompted steeper electromyographic (EMG) activity gradients than did the easy version. Scores on heart rate (HR) and skin conductance did not show clear gradients. However, task‐dependent effort was positively related to the magnitude of the initial HR acceleration and to the steepness of the EMG gradient. The autonomic‐somatic coupling hypothesis of Obrist did not explain the results. Instead, evidence for ventilatory‐somatic parallelism was found.
The Effects of Serial Order in Long Sequences of Auditory Stimuli on Event‐Related Potentials
Authors: Hermanutz Max , Cohen Rudolf , Sommer Werner 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe generalizability of the model relating P300 amplitudes to subjective probabilities, developed by Squires et al. (1976) for random series of events, was examined with respect to long sequences of repetitions, which had been restricted in randomness, allowing only for sequences of between 4 and 12 frequent clicks. Subjects were asked to silently count either the rarer of two clicks, presented with a probability of .10, or light stimuli occurring with the same temporal distribution.Within these limits there was an increase in P300 amplitude not only to the rare clicks, but also—contrary to predictions from the model—to the frequent non‐target clicks following longer series of repetitions, provided that clicks had to be counted. A plausible interpretation might be that the longer the series of repetitions in long non‐random sequences with low predictability, the more the subjects become involved in the “stimulus evaluation” of both kinds of events. A similar increase across serial position was found for the N100 component to frequent clicks when the auditory modality was defined as task relevant, and was interpreted as progressive focusing of selective attention. For the rare clicks there occurred a decrease in a slow Negative Shift with peak amplitude at 220 msec after long series of non‐targets, possibly reflecting a facilitative effect of the focused attention on decision processes related to target detection. There were no differences between normals and chronic alcoholics with respect to the above‐mentioned effects.
Event‐Related Brain Potentials in a Stimulus‐Discrimination Learning Paradigm
Authors: Rösler Frank 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTEvent‐related brain potentials were recorded from human subjects performing a stimulus‐discrimination learning task. Brain activity was averaged separately for different stimulus attributes, either relevant or irrelevant for the discrimination, and for different stages of learning. Learning‐specific amplitude changes occurred in two positive peaks of the ERP (P160 and P330): a) the amplitudes of both components decreased continuously over blocks; b) with increasing practice the amplitudes to irrelevant attributes became significantly smaller than those to relevant attributes; and c) the point at which the amplitudes to relevant and irrelevant attributes diverged was earlier for P330 and later for P160. The different trends of the amplitudes of the two peaks suggest that they reflect functionally distinct processes of attentional set. Peak latencies and other amplitude measures of the ERP (baseline shift, N100, slow wave) showed no learning‐specific, but systematic long‐ and short‐term habituation/facilitation effects.
Electrodermal Responses to Auditory Stimuli with Different Significance in Neurological Patients
Authors: Schuri U. , von Cramon D. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTIn 16 neurological patients with different levels of severely disturbed vigilance and 16 healthy subjects electrodermal responses to the name and the name backwards were elicited. In the most severely impaired patients, no differences were found between stimulus conditions. In less severe cases, significantly larger responses to the name were found but only on initial trials. In normal subjects differences persisted throughout 10 presentations of each stimulus. All subject groups demonstrated habituation.
The Effects of Pharmacological Manipulations that Influence Vagal Control of the Heart on Heart Period, Heart‐Period Variability and Respiration in Rats
Authors: Yongue Brandon G. , McCabe Philip M. , Porges Stephen W. , Rivera Margaret , Kelley Susan L. , Ackles Patrick K. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTChanges in heart period (HP), heart‐period variance (HPV), and the respiratory component of HPV in freely moving rats were examined following pharmacological manipulations known to influence vagal control of the heart. Spectral analysis was used to quantify the component of HPV associated with respiration which is proposed to be sensitive to vagal influences on the heart. The respiratory component of HPV is described by a statistic, V&#x030c;, which is the sum of the spectral densities of the heart period spectrum across the band of frequencies associated with normal respiration. Vagal tone was reflexively enhanced by phenylephrine or peripherally blocked by atropine.Phenylephrine produced biphasic changes in HP and V&#x030c;, with the increases lasting from 0.5 to 2 hrs. Atropine resulted in significant decreases in HP, HPV and V&#x030c;. These decreases were immediate and sustained throughout the experiment, although there were signiflcant linear increases in HP and HPV from their initial post‐injection values. In the saline condition, HP increased linearly across time.Results were discussed in terms of vagal and non‐vagal control of the heart. It was suggested that, while all three variables are altered by manipulations of vagal influences on the heart, V&#x030c; seems to be influenced less by non‐vagal control than HP and HPV.
Electrodermal Recovery and Stimulus Significance
Authors: Janes Cynthia L. 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTThe validity of Edelberg's (1970) hypothesis that speed at which the electrodermal response (EDR) recovers is affected by meaning of the stimulus evoking it, has been challenged by subsequent work showing prior ED activity's (EDA) highly significant association with ED recovery time. However, prior EDA's association with ED recovery does not rule out the possibility that the stimulus meaning may also affect recovery. In the present study a within‐subjects design (N = 10) was used to evaluate effects of stimulus significance on skin conductance response (SCR) amplitude and recovery time (rec t/2) while prior EDA was held constant. Amplitude was greater and rec t/2 longer (slower) when the stimulus significance increased, and the effect on recovery did not depend entirely on amplitude. Prior EDA also affected amplitude and recovery but stimulus meaning had an additional effect. These findings contradict the notion of the EDR as a unitary phenomenon, and imply that both peripheral and central mechanisms are involved in determining response amplitude and recovery. Stimulus meaning may affect recovery to an even greater degree than it affects amplitude.