Is the lemon test an index of arousal level?

On the basis of numerous studies, it was predicted that salivary output to lemon juice would increase in a noisy relative to a quiet environment. Following the accepted procedure (Corcoran, 1964) salivary output to lemon juice was measured under quiet conditions; then experimental subjects selected a level of noise 'just too loud for comfort' and the salivary index was reassessed. Controls were treated identically except that both measures were conducted in the quiet. It was found that salivation increased in noise, and the weight of saliva produced correlated with the level of noise chosen.