title: Brain asymmetry and autonomic conditioning: sensitization control.
abstract: In the present experiment we report effects of cerebral asymmetry, or laterality, during classical conditioning to facial emotional stimuli. Twenty-five female subjects were presented with slides of a happy face in one visual half-field (VHF), and simultaneously a slide of an angry face in the other VHF, followed by shock as the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). To control for effects of sensitization, a new stimulus, never associated with the UCS, was introduced in the extinction phase. Dependent measures were phasic heart rate responses (HR) and skin conductance responses (SCR). The HR results showed a significant right hemisphere effect for the CS-UCS association, that was not attributable to UCS sensitization. No significant effects were found for the SCRs. The basic HR finding was a right hemisphere superiority for learning of a conditioned association.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hugdahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D004585:Electrooculography; D004597:Electroshock; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology