title: Anticipation of a non-aversive reaction time task facilitates the blink startle reflex.
abstract: The conditions under which blink startle facilitation can be found in anticipation of a reaction time task were investigated to resolve inconsistent findings across previous studies. Four groups of participants (n=64) were presented with two visual stimuli, one predicting a reaction time task (S+) and the second presented alone (S-). Participants were asked to make a speeded response to the offset of the S+ (S1 paradigm) or were asked to respond to a tactile stimulus presented at the offset of the S+ (S1-S2 paradigm). Half of the participants in each paradigm condition received performance feedback. Overall, blink latency shortening and magnitude facilitation were larger during S+ than during S-. More detailed analyses, however, found these differences to be reliable only in the Feedback conditions. Ratings of S+ pleasantness did not change across the experiment. Electrodermal responses to S+ were larger than to S- in all groups with differential electrodermal responding emerging earlier in the S1 paradigm. Taken together, the data support the notion that startle facilitation can occur during non-aversive Pavlovian conditioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia. o.lipp@psy.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Ottmar V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Lipp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001767:Blinking; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D013216:Reflex, Startle; D012718:Set, Psychology