Date of Award

Spring 1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Peter J. Mikulka

Committee Member

Glynn D. Coates

Committee Member

Raymond H. Kirby

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65S54

Abstract

This study investigates and replicates the occurrence of a "W" pattern or compound electrodermal activity (EDA) response as it relates to the perception and naming of faces first found in Shearer and Mikulka (1991). Thirty-four male and thirty-four female subjects were randomly assigned to two conditions. The two conditions were balanced for sex having 17 males and 17 females each. The subjects were each presented 40 facial stimulus slides and the accompanying EDA responses were recorded. In the experimental condition subjects were required either to name (identify) the face or give a "feeling of knowing" rating of the face. In the control condition subjects were asked to rate the attractiveness of each face. Analyses of EDA amplitudes and latencies provided information about the possible sequence of recognition and naming of faces as well as a model of three processes proposed by Ellis (1986). It was found that the assumption that an EDA response was automatically generated to facial stimuli was possibly incorrect and that task-specific instructions to divert the subjects' attention from the naming/identification task significantly reduced EDA amplitudes to familiar facial stimuli.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/szv1-g420

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