AFFECTIVE REACTIONS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL-RESPONSES TO EMOTIONAL STIMULI

This experiment examined individual differences in emotional responsiv ity by recording the startle eyeblink reflex while 57 college students viewed affect-laden pictures and then rated their pleasantness. All p articipants first completed measures of affect intensity, alexithymia, and depression. Startle probes were sometimes presented at 120, 300, 800, or 4,500 ms after slide onset. By 300 ms, blinks elicited during negative slides were larger than those elicited during positive ones. Negative slides were also rated as more unpleasant. Moreover all three personality variables moderated either the valence ratings, startle m odification, or both. High-affect intensity was associated with dimini shed modulation of startle, but more extreme ratings. Alexithymia had no effect on the startle measure, but high-alexithymia participants di d show more moderate ratings. Depressed participants exhibited acceler ated (120 ms) modulation of startle. The results suggest the importanc e of measuring both physiological responses and subjective feelings in the study of individual differences in emotion.