"Electrodermal and central measures of the tonic orienting reflex (OR)" by Robert J. Barry, Genevieve Z. Steiner-Lim et al.
Sokolov described both phasic and tonic aspects of the Orienting Reflex (OR), but subsequent research and theory development has focussed primarily on the phasic OR at the expense of the tonic OR. The present study used prestimulus skin conductance level (SCL) during a dishabituation paradigm to model the tonic OR, examining its amplitude patterning over repeated standard stimulus presentations and a change stimulus. We expected sensitisation (increased amplitude) following the initial and change trials, and habituation (decrement) over the intervening trials. Prestimulus EEG alpha level was e...