Startle potentiation during anticipation of a noxious stimulus: active versus passive response sets

The startle reflex response increases during aversive stimulus processing. This study examined whether differing response sets affected startle potentiation during anticipation of an aversive event. Two groups received a noxious noise blast following a 6-s warning cue. Subjects in the active group could press a switch to stop the noise; yoked passive subjects received the same noises with no control. Subjects in a yoked control group heard a soft tone following cue offset. Acoustic startle probes were presented during some of the warning periods and during some of the intertrial intervals. The major finding was that the active and passive groups did not differ in startle potentiation. In comparison with controls, startle reactions for both groups were larger and faster during the warning cue than between trials. The results suggest that the startle reflex indexes defensive response mobilization independently of specific task demands.