The aversiveness of uncertainty: An analysis in terms of activation and information theory

Abstract

It was hypothesized that the aversiveness of a series of painful events is a function of two additive components: non-specific arousal arising from uncertainty concerning future stimulation, and aversive arousal arising from the painful stimulus itself. In the first of two experiments conducted to test implications of the hypothesis, it was found that the GSR to, and the aversiveness of, a series of predictable shocks tended to decline, whereas the GSR to, and the aversiveness of, a series of unpredictable shocks tended to be maintained. The second experiment compared the aversiveness of intermittent and continous shock reinforcement schedules. The results conformed closely to expectations based on the assumption that the aversiveness of a series of shocks is a function of uncertainty plus shock density.