Operant Electrodermal Conditioning Under Multiple Schedules Oe Reineorcement

Abstract

An operant discrimination procedure was used to determine whether human subjects show shifts in palmar skin potential response rate under varying schedules of reinforcement. In Experiment I, a monetary reinforcer was either given or subtracted on a short fixed ratio schedule during alternating 5-min periods. In Experiment II, the schedules alternated between 10-min periods in which either a variable ninnber of responses or long interresponse times were reinforced. Each experiment consisted of seven subjects tested over several sessions. The results indicated differences in response rates consonant with changes in the scheduling of reinforcement. Concurrent recordings of respiration, heart rate, and skin potential level showed that the reinforcement effects were generally specific to the skin potential response variable. DESCRIPTORS: Operant conditioning, Electrodermal activity. Skin potential response (SPR), Reinforcement.Contrary to generally held views (Kimble, 1961;Morgan, 1965), recent evidence suggests tbat autonomic activity can be modified through operant conditioning. When a reinforcing event is made contingent upon the occurrence of unelicited fluctuations in heart rate, peripheral blood flow, or palmar electrodermal activity, higher rates of responding are observed than in various noncontingent reinforcement conditions Engel and Hansen, 1966;Fowler and Kimmel, 1962;Lisina, 1965;Miller and DiCara, 1967;Shearn, 1962;Trowill, 1967). In order to extend the analogy between such results and the more traditional operant conditioning of skeletal responses, a finer control of the frequency characteristics of autonomic operants would be desirable. In the experiments reported here, the rate of emission of electrodermal responses in human subjects was studied under two multiple schedules of reinforcement. The aim was to determine whether changes in the scheduling of

Stimulus Control Over Operant Galvanic Skin Responses

“…A consistent finding of the present report was that the observed discriminative responding occurred superimposed on a declining response rate. This differential adaptation was also observed by Crider and Shapiro (1967).…”

“…Effects, following the use of these methods, have been observed in both acquisition and extinction phases. Little data are available, however, using discrimination procedures while attempting operant conditioning of autonomic responses (Shapiro & Crider, 1967;Miller & DiCara, 1967). In the present study an operant discrimination procedure was used and stimulus control over the galvanic skin response (GSR) was investigated in both acquisition and extinction.…”

Revisión sobre las técnicas de Biofeedback y sus aplicaciones [Biofeedback techniques and their applications: A review]

“…En esta misma época hay que destacar también los excelentes resultados obtenidos por Shapiro con seres humanos utilizando contingencias de refuerzo para incrementar y reducir la conductancia eléctrica de la piel (Crider et al, 1966;Shapiro y Crider, 1967;Shapiro et al, 1964). Parecidos resultados se obtuvieron en otras investigaciones realizadas aproximadamente por las mismas fechas, y en las que se demostró la posibilidad de condicionar el número de fluctuaciones espontáneas de la respuesta electrodermal con condicionamiento operante.…”

Avoidance Conditioning Oe Skin Potential Responses

“…A second question concerns whether the obserYed changes are unique to the CS period or represent an OYerall change in response rate. It has been shown that rates of spontaneous skin potential responses can be instrumentally manipulated (Crider, Shapiro, & Tursky, 1966) and brought under the control of discrimina-tiYe stimuli (Shapiro & Crider, 1967). Many of the suggested applications of techniques inYolYing autonomic responses, howeYer, such as in psychosomatic medicine, require the modification of responses that are elicited by specific stimuli, so-called stressors and the like.…”