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The hypothesis suggested by Luria (1963) that infants with central nervous system damage fail to habituate to repeated stimulation was tested using an experimental group whose clinical course suggested a relatively high probability of CNS damage, a control group matched for age in weeks since conception, and a group of normal, fullterm infants. An auditory stimulus at 80 db SPL was presented for 3 sec at 20‐sec intervals. Heart rate change averaged across time on Trials 1–5 and Trials 26–30 were compared. The hypothesis was not confirmed, since significant habituation was found on Trials 26–30 for all groups. However, latency of response was significantly longer in high‐risk Ss. A developmental trend toward decreased latency of response with increasing gestational age was identified.

In 2 experiments, heart rate responses of newborn infants to an auditory stimulus as a function of sleep vs wakefulness, probability of perinatal impairment of the central nervous system, and developmental level were compared. All subjects were studied under standard conditions, in their own incubators, using an 80 dB (re 0.02 dynes/cm2) low‐frequency buzzer of 3‐sec duration. Heart rate responses were averaged over 10 trials for each subject in each state. In the first study, which compared the responses of high‐ and low‐risk subjects of 1800 gm or greater weight, it was found that there was no difference between the groups in the response during sleep; or greater weight, it was found that there was no difference between the groups in the response during sleep; during wakefulness, however, a significant difference in the direction of response was found. High‐risk subjects accelerated, as in sleep, whereas low‐risk subjects decelerated. In a developmental study of 4 small premature infants, it was found that the direction of the waking heart rate response changed from acceleration to deceleration at about 35 to 36 weeks conceptional age.

A post-isolation interview was administered to 134 Ss confined for up to 72 hr. under three conditions of sensory deprivation: Auditory-Tactual-Visual (Total Deprivation); Auditory-Tactual; and Auditory. Results indicated that Ss were not severely disorganized by the isolation experience. Total deprivation produced greater disturbance of affect and cognition than the two less severely restricted conditions, while complaints of physical discomfort were greater in the latter two groups. Hallucinations were analyzed in the Total Deprivation Group. The occurrence of visual, auditory, olfactory, kinesthetic, and body-image hallucinations was reported. Confirmation of previous findings for visual sensations was dependent on the criteria for classification. A significant proportion of Ss reported multimodal, complex sensory experiences (CSE). The history of CSE in sensory deprivation and related research was reviewed, and their relation to other types of hallucinations was discussed.