Electrodermal responses are independent of movement during aversive conditioning in rats, but heart rate is not.

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Abstract
Studied the relationship of skin conductance and potential to somatic-motor activity in male hooded rats by superimposing aversive classical conditioning upon an appetitive operant base line. Exp. I with 9 ss studied conductance when operant behavior was suppressed by cs+. The direction of the electrodermal and somatic-motor responses was invariably opposed. Exp. Ii with 10 ss compared conductance and potential responses to heart rate when overt movement increased, decreased, or did not change following presentation of cs+. The direction of the heart-rate responses was the same as the movement responses, but the electrodermal response was always an increase. Unlike heart rate, electrodermal responses to aversive stimuli did not appear to be determined by neural mechanisms that control movement. The mechanism of the electrodermal responses was unclear. A motivational interpretation is proposed. (38 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

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