OPERANT CONDITIONING OF HEART RATE SPEEDING |
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| Authors: | Bernard T. Engel Ray A. Chism |
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| Affiliation: | Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California |
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| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to see if heart rate (HR) speeding could be operantly conditioned. Five experimental Ss and five yoked-control Ss were studied. Experimental Ss were positively reinforced for speeding their HR on a beat-by-beat basis, whereas yoked-control Ss were reinforced in a pattern based on the performance of paired experimental Ss. The data showed that: all Ss learned to speed their HR; some yoked-controls responded with a pattern of response that included increased HR; and the techniques which Ss use to regulate their HR vary widely from one S to another. |
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| Keywords: | Operant conditioning Heart rate Yoked-control Ss |
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