Conditioning variables in attentional handicaps

The relationship between attention and the process of conditioning was investigated in spastic-hemiplegic subjects suffering from attentional handicaps. Observations were made on the effects of retinally stabilized images on the course of alpha blocking responses to tone before, during and after the pairing with light stimulation. Changes in the subjective attention state over time were rated by the use of a self-assessment checklist on both control (indirectly photically stimulated) and directly photically stimulated groups. Stabilized retinal image procedures appeared to have a significant effect when the tone was paired with a light stimulus during conditioning and to a lesser extent during extinction. A significant increase was noted in the duration of the alpha blocking response during conditioning amongst the directly photically stimulated hemiplegic subjects. The stabilized retinal image techniques seem to have aided the hemiplegic subjects in acting selectively to augment the components of the conditioned response which develops after repeated pairings.