ABILITY OF ACTORS TO CONTROL THEIR GSRS AND EXPRESS EMOTIONS

Ability to control GSRs through the use of ideational stimulation was studied in 26 professional actors. During one 10‐min period, “Respond,”Ss had to make as many GSRs as possible; during the other period, “Rest,”Ss were instructed to inhibit their GSRs. All Ss received continuous visual feedback of their responses during both periods. No relationship was found between ability to control GSRs and emotional expression as measured by the ratings of directors. However, as predicted, method actors performed at a significantly higher level than non‐method actors. An additional finding was that those actors who normally experience sweating as their primary response to stress performed at a higher level than non‐sweaters. Copyright © 1968, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved