Date of Award:

5-1974

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

David R. Stone

Committee

David R. Stone

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effects of awareness on experimentally induced anxiety. Forty college undergraduates were conditioned with a mild electric shock as the UCS (unconditioned stimulus) and a tone a s the CS (conditioned stimulus). After conditioning, the experimental group was taught to discriminate between the CS and six other tones which were both higher and lower in frequency than the CS. The control group was not given these learning trials. After learning to discriminate the tones, the experimental subjects had a higher GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) to the seven tones as compared to the control group. The discrimination process thus facilitated an association among the tones. This increase in anxiety was relatively greater with the passage of time as the experimental subjects also had a higher GSR to the seven tones 24 hours after conditioning compared with 30 minutes after conditioning. These increases, however, were not significant in all cases.

Checksum

c61ffbc9a5c39e6931ea32ca97b8aad3

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS