Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T13:54:59.137Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Independence of valence modulation and prepulse inhibition of startle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2000

LARRY W. HAWK
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA Present address: Department of Psychology, Park Hall, SUNY-Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-4110, USA. E-mail: [email protected].
EDWIN W. COOK
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
Get access

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether prepulse inhibition and valence modulation of startle are independent, both within and across individuals. Acoustic probes (105 dB) were delivered as 68 undergraduates viewed pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures. Weak acoustic stimuli (8 dB above background) preceded half of the probes by 120 ms. As expected, startles were larger during unpleasant than during pleasant pictures, and smaller on prepulse than no-prepulse trials. In general, valence modulation and prepulse inhibition of startle were unrelated. That is, prepulse inhibition was consistent across affective states, valence modulation did not differ between no-prepulse and prepulse trials, and valence modulation and prepulse inhibition effects were uncorrelated across individuals. Analysis of raw and percent modification scores generally led to similar conclusions. It is concluded that valence modulation and prepulse inhibition are independent startle modulatory phenomena, although this conclusion is tempered by a finding of poor internal consistency reliability for valence modulation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Society for Psychophysiological Research

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)