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Science 6 September 1963:
Vol. 141. no. 3584, pp. 928 - 930
DOI: 10.1126/science.141.3584.928
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Articles

Startle Reaction: Modification by Background Acoustic Stimulation

Howard S. Hoffman 1 and Morton Fleshler 1

1 Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Six rats were exposed to a sequence of gunshot-like acoustical bursts during silence, during steady noise, and during pulsed noise. Assessment of their startle reactions to the bursts revealed that a background of steady noise enhanced the response, whereas a background of pulsed noise produced suppression of response. It is hypothesized that pulsed noise causes a relative refractory state in the mechanisms responsible for startle and that steady noise may enhance startle by masking uncontrolled punctiform acoustic stimuli.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)