Effect of Anxiety on Alpha Responsiveness to Light Stimulation

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Abstract
Ss scoring high and low on four tests of the Objective Analytic Anxiety Battery and having at least 25% time alpha rhythm in their resting EEGs received 100 trials of a single photic flash in the presence of alpha rhythm. Analysis of variance of the alpha blocking responses in right and left parieto-occipital derivations yielded a significant anxiety effect, with the low-anxiety group giving consistently more responses than the high-anxiety group. This effect was discussed in relation to the alpha blocking “conditioned” response and habituation.