The Effects of Cognitive Set on the Electrodermal Orienting Response

Two experiments were designed to examine the effects of cognitive set acquired during problem solving upon the orienting skin conductance response (SCR) to a tone and its omission. Forty-two female college students were instructed to press a key when they had found out the rule set up between the presentation of a tone and a particular digit associated with the tone. In Experiment 1, the tones were presented at every third ‘0’position, at first. After this rule was discovered, in the first group, the tone-presentation was altered to the every third ‘7’position (Tone 0–7 Group: n=7). In the second group, the tones were not further presented after the rule was discovered (Tone 0-No Tone Group: n=9). In the third group, the tones were continuously presented even after the subjects had found the rule (Tone 0–0 Group: n=9). Then, in the Tone 0–7 and Tone 0–0 Groups one no-tone trial was given. The results showed that the change of tone-rule in the Tone 0–7 Group and the tone-omission did not evoke an orienting response. In Experiment 2, the instructions were improved so that the subjects would maintain a cognitive set to detect a possible future change in the rule. Two groups, the Tone 0–7 (n=8) and Tone 0–0 (n=9) Groups, underwent the same procedure as in Experiment 1. It was shown that the change of tone-rule in the Tone 0–7 Group and the tone-omission in the Tone 0–0 Group evoked the orienting response.