Abstract
Eye blink reflexes were elicited by percutaneous stimulation of the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve in six human adults. On some trials the eliciting stimuli were preceded (100 msec before) by 1-kHz tone bursts delivered to one or to both ears at 30 dB or 90 dB SPL. The bilateral component of the reflex was inhibited by the tones, more so by monaural than binaural. The advantage of the monaural tone was more apparent at 90 dB, but it remained reliable at 30 dB. These data have some practical significance for using reflex modification procedures for audiometry. With other reports, they suggest that the degree of stimulus laterality is a perceptual attribute to which reflex control is sensitive.
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This research was supported by Research Grants ES 01427 and 01428 from the Public Health Service.
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Ison, J.R., Pinckney, L. Reflex modulation in humans by monaural and binaural auditory stimulation. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 15, 285–287 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334534
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334534