PERSISTENCE OF BACKGROUND ACOUSTIC STIMULATION IN CONTROLLING STARTLE

Measured the startle reaction of 7 naive male Wistar rats to a loud impulse of acoustic energy in the presence of either periodically interrupted or steady background noise. Continuous 6-hr exposure to periodically interrupted vs. steady background noise, prior to startle tests, yielded the same differences in startle amplitude as shorter 5-min exposures. Results indicate that the influence of background noise persists over long periods, and they confirm the feasibility of controlling the tendency to startle by manipulating the background acoustic signal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.