Operant verbal conditioning of autonomic responses∗

Consciousness and Self-Regulation

“…for heart rate: Ascough & Sipprelle, 1968;Levene, Engel, & Pearson, 1968;Shapiro, Tursky, & Schwartz, 1970; for electrodermal activity: Greene & Wirth, 1974;Kimmel & Baxter, 1964;Van Twyver & Kimmel, 1966; for blood pressure: Shapiro, Schwartz, & Tursky, 1972;Shapiro, Tursky & Schwartz, 1970;Shapiro, Tursky, Gershon, & Stern, 1969). Moreover, the most encouraging evidence for specificity of control also comes from some of these studies.…”

“…Moreover, the most encouraging evidence for specificity of control also comes from some of these studies. For example, Ascough and Sipprelle (1968) reported an independence of target heart-rate changes from respiratory changes, and Cohen (1973) reported an independence between target heart-rate changes and EMG changes. Yet in the biofeedback paradigm our fine-grained analyses of the development of cardiac control indicate that instructions to control heart rate activate respiratory changes and that the acquisition of heart-rate control then takes place in the context of somatomotor activation (Kelly & Lacroix, 1983;Lacroix & Gowen, 1981), and this is in keeping with more molar analyses carried in other investigations (Clemens & Shattock, 1979;Lacroix & Roberts, 1978;Lev-enson & Ditto, 1981;Obrist et al, 1975;Schober & Lacroix, 1985).…”

The Empirical Clinical Psychology Department: Administration of Clinical Services.

“…During the 10-year period under consideration, the psychology staff produced over 100 papers and articles published in psychological journals, making the department one of the most productive clinical agencies in the country in terms of research activity (Wildman, 1962). These research efforts were distributed among many areas relevant to clinical psychology, including evaluation (e.g., Dinoff, Paterson, Hannon, & Morris, 1967;Hannon & Kicklighter, 1970;Huff, 1965), treatment (e.g., Bernard, Kinzie, Tollman, & Webb, 1965Elliott, Smith, & Wildman, 1972;Varnadoe & Merritt, 1971), professional problems (e.g., Moore, Boblitt, & Wildman, 1968;Stewart & Harsch, 1966;Wildman & Wildman, 1967), and general experimental psychology (e.g., Ascough & Sipprelle, 1968;Bernard & Eisenman, 1967;Eisenman, 1965).…”

Induced Anxiety in the Treatment for LSD Effects

“…It has been demonstrated by Ascough and Sipprelle [1968] that autonomic responses may be brought under operant control. Once the patient has been made sufficiently anxious, it has been found that he will either spontaneously, or by request, become aware of the stimuli which characteristically evoke such anxiety in him and be able to verbalize them.…”