Characteristics of the muscle tension response to paired tones.

Abstract

It has been found with the various sense modalities and under varying experimental conditions that the repeated presentation of a given stimulus generally alters in some way the manner in which S responds to that stimulus, whether S be animal or human. Conditioning is a case in point. The manner in which the response undergoes change may be measured in terms of the latency of the response, the frequency of response, the amplitude of the response. Any one of these or any combination of them may undergo an evolutionary alteration. These changes have usually been studied in terms of an overt response. But the persistent question has been raised whether an overt response is necessary to conditioning. Association theory of the stimulusstimulus variety suggests there need not be any kind of overt response when conditioning occurs (21). 3 We seem to have a nonovert response in the muscle tension reflex induced by an auditory stimulus. Davis has determined that a measurable EMG can be produced with near-threshold stimuli, and in his discussion of results advances as one of his explanatory prin-1 This paper is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the

Conditioning of muscle action potential increments accompanying an instructed movement.

“…We may wonder, however, if similar MAP increments might be obtained without instructions. The studies of both Hilden (13) and Van Liere (16) suggest an affirmative answer. In neither of these studies were <Ss instructed to respond.…”