Observing Behavior of Mental Patients under a Fixed-Interval Schedule of Signals

Abstract

The performances of mental patients and normals were compared on a monitoring task using the Holland procedure for measurement of observing responses. Subjects were required to rapidly detect and react to signals which occurred at 2-min. intervals with a 15-sec. limited-hold. Some patients performed effectively in terms of detecting and reporting signals; however, the temporal pattern of observing responses within fixed-intervals differed in varying degrees from the extended post-target pauses and high terminal rate of the normals. Later sessions with modifications in the procedure showed the following: some patients could not maintain a high detection rate with a very brief limited-hold; a warning light during the latter part of each 2-min. interval controlled the observing responses of some patients; regular changes in local rate by some patients occurred during an extinction period; and the temporal characteristics of responding by patients and normals were more similar under a variable-interval schedule of signals. The intra-interval pattern of skin conductance changes during the monitoring session did not show any gross characteristic which differentiated the patients from the normals.