Exploratory Study of Physiologic and Subjective Reactions Evoked by Aversive and Non-Aversive Sounds

摘要

Physiological and subjective responses to aversive and nonaversive sounds were studied in humans. Sixteen subjects, 19 to 43 years old, were exposed to sets of test sounds that varied in acoustic quality, familiarity, and information content. The sounds were presented in 20 test sessions. Physiological reactions to the sounds were assessed by measuring heart rate, blood pressure, gastrointestinal motility, galvanic skin response, and urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid and catecholamine concentrations. The sounds were rated subjectively as aversive or nonaversive. Sounds with screeching, grinding acoustic qualities which had unpleasant associations were consistently rated more aversive than sounds conveying smooth, rhythmic acoustic features having pleasant associations. Except for gastrointestinal motility, there were no significant differences in physiological responses to aversive and nonaversive sounds. Aversive sounds significantly increased gastrointestinal motility, whereas nonaversive sounds had only an insignificant effect.