The Relationship Between Spontaneous and Stimulus-Correlated Electrodermal Responses in Simple and Discriminative Conditioning Paradigms

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between skin conductance fluctuations (SF) and skin conductance conditioning with designs permitting conclusions regarding both reactivity and conditioning. In the first experiment, involving simple delayed conditioning with a tone CS, a shock UCS, and an 8-sec ISI, groups high and low in SF during conditioning and sensitization were formed. Spontaneous fluctuations predicted magnitude of CS, pre-UCS, post-UCS, and unconditioned responses. Overall conditioning was significant only for the pre-UCS response, and for this measure the high SF group showed better conditioning than the low SF group. The second experiment involved discrimination training to pitch with shock UCS and an 8-sec ISI. Groups high, medium, and low in SF during conditioning were selected. Again, SF predicted magnitude of all response components. Reliable conditioning and significant relationship to SF was observed for CS, pre-UCS, and post-UCS responses. It was concluded that SF is related to both skin conductance reactivity and skin conductance conditioning.