Operant reinforcement of a skeletally mediated autonomic response: Uncoupling of the two responses

Extended dissociative training of sudomotor response patterns

Subjects viewed two feedback displays, one depicting skin conductance and the other either respiratory behavior (respiration group) or subtle body movements (movement group). The subject's task was to increase skin conductance and the concomitant activity on integration trials, and to increase conductance while holding the concomitant behavior constant on dissociation trials. All subjects succeeded at integration over 15 sessions of training. In addition, 4 of 5 subjects in the respiration group successfully increased skin conductance on dissociation trials without altering the pre-trial pattern of breathing. However, volar activities (e.g., finger-to-finger contact, finger flexion) were observed on these trials. Volar activities were also adopted on dissociation trials by subjects trained in the movement group. Successful subjects in this group identified volar manipulations that did not affect a sensitive movement transducer. Attempts by subjects to compensate for habituation of conductance responses to deep breaths and finger flexion reduced or reversed within-subject correlations involving these concomitants, on integration and dissociation trials. The results do not support the view that visceral-somatic linkages can be uncoupled through instrumental learning.

A comparison of the mechanisms and some properties of instructed sudomotor and cardiac control

Instructed control defined as differential compliance with verbal instructions to increase and decrease a response was assessed when a change in sudomotor activation or heart rate was specified as the behavioral goal. Instructed control of heart rate was evident prior to explicit feedback training for this response, but instructed control of sudomotor activation defined as finger sweating and measured as skin conductance was not. Feedback training subsequently established instructed control of sudomotor responding, but such training did not lead to a significant improvement in control of heart rate. Explicit strategy suggestions emphasizing emotional responding and intended or actual movement appeared to interfere with the performance of instructed control under both target conditions. Instructed changes in heart rate were attended by correlated changes in somatomotor and respiratory function. Somatomotor and respiratory responses were also observed when subjects were instructed to change sudomotor activation, but these correlated activities were of small magnitude and were not augmented by feedback training as was target responding. Several accounts of the basis for differences that were evident between the target conditions with respect to feedback effects and response patterns are discussed.

Stimulus control of skin resistance responses on an escape-avoidance schedule

The effects of discrimination and avoidance training on the skin resistance response were studied in eight humans. Responses occurring during one stimulus delayed the interruption of music for 30 sec; responses during a second stimulus either had no effect or interrupted the music for 15 sec. The results showed stimulus control in all subjects and an increased discrimination between the first one-half and last one-half of the sessions for seven of the eight subjects.