Differential Effects of Feedback and Reinforcement in Voluntary Acceleration of Human Heart Rate

Abstract

Six single-subject experiments were conducted: In each experiment, after a stable baseline was established, S was given 8 20-min. trials on which he was to accelerate heart rate with no feedback; next 24 additional 20-min. sessions were given on which S received binary feedback of heart rate; depending upon the experiment, reinforcement in the form of small amounts of money was also given or withdrawn in blocks of 8 sessions; finally generalization was measured in a concluding block of 8 sessions. A significant instruction effect was found in 4 experiments. Further significant increases in heart rate were found in all 6 experiments when feedback was introduced. Although it was established experimentally that contingent presentation of money functioned as a reinforcer for a motor (bar-press) response, its contingent presentation did not yield a consistent advantage in accelerating heart rate.