Perceptual and Environmental Determinants of Coughing

Unlike health-seeking behaviors and self-reported physical sensations, coughing is typically an immediate and observable response to the perception of a tickling or irritated throat. Several studies were conducted on coughing behavior in naturalistic classroom settings. The major findings include: (1) the larger the group, the more coughs per person; (2) people are more likely to cough if they hear others cough; (3) the closer a person is to a cougher, the greater the probability that they will also emit a cough; (4) coughing varies as a function of external stimulus demands (i.e., when subjects viewed a movie that had previously been rated for its interest value every 30 seconds, subjects were more likely to cough during the uninteresting portions); and (5) high instructor evaluations were related to fewer coughs during lectures. Perceptual, physiological, and depth of processing issues as related to internal sensations are discussed.