PATTERNS OF GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSES TO SIGNAL AND NON-SIGNAL STIMULI

Two studies investigating the specific features of galvanic skin responses (GSRs) to signal and non‐signal stimuli are reported. The results of Exp. I indicate that stimuli which have instructed behavioral associates (signal significance) produce GSRs which are both multiphasic and relatively persistent in nature. Multiple GSRs are produced by the initial presentation of a signal stimulus and the persistence of the overall response appears to have at least a short‐term effect on baseline. Exp. II was designed to investigate the possible independence of these two characteristics through the manipulation of response certainty. The results suggest that multiplicity and persistence may be separable features of the response to signal stimuli in which the latter may be a correlate of response novelty. Copyright © 1968, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved