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Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Affective modulation and prepulse inhibition of startle among undergraduates high and low in behavioral inhibition
Larry W Hawk1, Audrey D Kowmas
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260-4110, USA. lhawk@buffalo.edu
Abstract:
Valence modulation and prepulse inhibition of startle were examined among 80 undergraduates scoring in the upper and lower quartiles of self-report measures of behavioral inhibition (BIS) and behavioral approach (BAS). Participants viewed a series of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures. Acoustic startle probes (102 dB) were presented during most pictures and during intertrial intervals, and a prepulse (120-ms SOA) preceded half of the probes. Valence modulation on no-prepulse trials was greater among high-BAS than low-BAS participants. Consistent with theory regarding behavioral approach, post hoc tests demonstrated robust inhibition during pleasant versus neutral pictures among high-BAS participants, but not low-BAS participants. Valence modulation was reliable among high-BIS but not low-BIS participants, but the group difference was not significant. Contrary to our prediction, prepulse inhibition tended to be greater among high-BAS than low-BAS participants. The present data call attention to the role of individual differences in pleasant affective experience in startle modification.
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