AUDITORY THRESHOLD VARIATIONS DURING PERIODS OF INDUCED HIGH AND LOW HEART RATES

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study was designed to test Lacey's and Callaway's contention that individuals respond differently to sensory sensitivity tasks under conditions of high and low heart rates. A Bekesy audiometry threshold tracing was obtained from subjects after a period of inactivity and after a period of activity. The results indicated that the subjects' auditory thresholds for the 1000 Hz tone were significantly less acute under the condition of induced higher heart rates. Although the data collected is correlational in nature the possibility that the higher rate results in reduced sensory sensitivity from a causal point of view is suggested. Although Lacey's and Callaway's formulations are not synonymous with the traditional theories of activation, it is highly probable that their formulations may be merely delineating the mechanisms by which extreme arousal results in impaired performance.