Novelty and Significance in Orientation and Habituation: A Feature-Matching Approach

Itamar Gati, Gershon Ben-Shakhar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A feature-matching model to account for the effects of novelty and significance on psychophysiological responsivity is presented. 2 experiments based on a modified version of the Guilty Knowledge Technique were designed to test predictions derived from the proposed model. Results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that electrodermal responsivity to the test stimulus reflected the degree to which the subjects were habituated to its components. Experiment 2 provided additional support for the proposed model and suggested that the effects of novelty and significance were additive. These findings support the hypothesis that responsivity is positively related to the degree of match between the input and the representation of significance, and it is negatively related to the similarity between the input and the preceding stimuli. It is argued that the proposed model clarifies the processes involved in orienting response elicitation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)251-263
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: General
Volume119
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1990
Externally publishedYes

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