Psychosomatic Medicine 26:267-273 (1964)
© 1964 American Psychosomatic Society

Conflict vs. Conditioning: Effects upon Peripheral Vascular Activity

¹ U. S. Veterans Administration Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

A recent Soviet report claims the classical conditioning of an involuntary response. This study refutes that claim. Replicating the Russian design, subjects were asked to inhale at the command, "Inhale," with concomitant vasoconstriction appearing on the plethysmograph. Then Ss were asked not to inhale at the command--and significant vasoconstriction was again obtained, just as was reported. However, in the present study, the same Ss were also trained to obey the command, "Close your eyes," an act which evokes no vasoconstriction. When Ss were asked not to obey the latter command, significant vasoconstriction was again obtained. This outcome does not follow any conditioning paradigm. Rather it supports the concept of conflict, which proposes that two antagonistic responses demanded of one stimulus elicits an emotional state resulting in vasoconstriction.