Psychosomatic Medicine 8:16-27 (1946)
© 1946 American Psychosomatic Society

A Study of Conditioned Vasomotor Responses in Ten Human Subjects

¹ Resident in Neuropsychiatry, Barnes and McMillan Hospitals, and Assistant in Neuropsychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine

1. The vasomotor system of 4 of 10 subjects was conditioned rapidly to a light stimulus. A faradic current was used as the unconditioned stimulus and the vascular reactions were measured by means of the photo-electric plethysmograph. Once obtained this conditioned response appeared to be relatively stable.

2. Conditioning and extinction curves of this type of conditioning did not always follow the typical curves of learning and forgetting. The irregularity of the curves may be attributed to:

(a) The instability of the unconditioned responses in some subjects.

(b) Changes in attitude and emotional set of the subject.

(c) Other factors not studied in this experiment.

3. Three subjects who manifested signs and symptoms of autonomic nervous system imbalance were more easily conditioned than subjects who did not.

4. Subjects who were relatively easily conditioned showed more rapid and complete elimination of incidental vascular reflexes to the light stimulus, and showed a tendency toward more stable conditioned responses during extinction than subjects who were not easily conditioned.

5. The intensity of sensations as reported by a subject was not a valid indication of the magnitude of the physiological vascular reactions concomitant with these sensations.

Note:
This study was begun under the direction of Dr. Felix Deutsch and Dr. Carlyle F. Jacobsen. A grant in aid from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation defrayed a part of the expenses of the study.

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