Modification in Autonomically Mediated Physiological Responses to Cold Pressor by Word Associations

Abstract

Physiological measures—basal skin resistance (BSR), galvanic skin resistance (GSR), electrocardiogram (EKG), and skin temperatures—were made on 120 consecutive days on 3 male subjects during rest, a 20‐item word association test, recovery, a cold‐pressor test, a combination of cold‐pressor and a second similar word‐association test, and final recovery. Each stimulus alone induced increased sympathetic activity. Ongoing stress (cold pressor) responses, however, were depressed during the word‐association test. Furthermore, the nature, reaction times, and commonalities of the associations were influenced by the stress. The inhibition was not due to order, threshold, adaptation, or conditioning effects.

Physiological Effects of Combinations of Painful and Cognitive Stimuli

“…The responses of Group 1 (where the cognitive stimulus was superimposed onto an ongoing CP-response) were almost identical to those reported by Mefferd and Wieland (1965) and McDaniel et al (1968). The imposition of a cognitive stimulus, regardless of the modality of input and with or without muscular activity (e.g., with the verbalization of word associations), caused a decrease in the level of SA induced by the combination of cold-pain in CP.Ĝ roup 2 )Ss (CP superimposed on the Pn-response) responded to the combined stimulus almost as if it were CP alone.…”

“…In our WA study (Mefferd & Wieland, 1965) it appeared reasonable to believe that the mechanism for this effect might be a mere mutual distraction at a high cognitive level. The results of the present experiment, however, demonstrate that this is not the explanation.…”

“…The recording equipment was located in a separate room. The apparatus was the same as reported in the earlier study (Mefferd & Wieland, 1965). After instrumentation oi S, 15 min were allowed for electrolyte stabilization and skin hydration.…”

“…In an earlier study we reported that both a complex cognitive stimulus (word association-WA) and a painful stimulus (cold pressor^GP) induced almost identical quantitative sympathetic-like responses, but when the former was imposed at the height of the response to pain, the net response was reduced (Mefferd & Wieland, 1965). Goldberg (1966) has reported that the simultaneous combination of two physiologically potent stimuli, leg exercise and GP, resulted in a total response only as large as that yielded by the more potent stimulus alone.…”

Modification in Autonomically Mediated Physiological Responses to Cold Pressor by Cognitive Activity: An Extension

“…In a longitudinal study of three >Ss (Mefferd and Wieland, 1965) we found that when a complex cognitive stimulus (word association) was imposed on a painful stimulus (cold pressor), the ongoing sympathetic response to the pain was diminished immediately. The present study investigated two questions raised by the earlier study: (1) what were the relative roles of the motor activity, and the cognitive activity per se hi this response diminution, and (2) could the results be generalized to a larger population?…”