Effect of Instructions upon An Autonomic Response: An Analogue of Systematic Desensitization

Summary —The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of different types of instructions on autonomic arousal. The instructions were presented to 42 Ss after a series of multiplication trials. The multiplication trials were defined as autonomic stressors, and the recovery of autonomic responses was measured. Mental relaxation instructions resulted in superior recovery of skin resistance levels over other types of instructions ( p < .01). The findings were interpreted as supporting Rachman's (1968) hypothesis concerning the lack of the necessity of physical relaxation instructions for systematic desensitization.