Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–2Cite as

Interstimulus Interval

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 701 Accesses

Definition

Interstimulus interval can be defined as the time interval between the end of one stimulus presentation and the onset of another stimulus presentation.

Introduction

The concept of interstimulus interval is frequently encountered within processes of non-associative learning, specifically habituation and sensitization Petrinovich (1984).

Experimental Research on Interstimulus Interval

Interstimulus interval experiments were extensive under the work of Davis (1970) on habituation of the acoustic-startle response in the rat. Generally, through Davis’s series of experimental studies it was demonstrated that the length of interstimulus interval, as well as variability (regularity), determines habituation in animals. The author compared the responsiveness of two groups of rats to a 50-ms, 120-db tone of 4000 Hz during pretest, training, and posttest periods. During both the pretest and the posttest periods, both groups of subjects received 300 tone exposures at intervals of 2, 4,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Davis, M. (1970). Effects of interstimulus interval length and variability on startle-response habituation in the rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 72(2), 177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Groves, P.M. & Thompson, R.F. (1970). Habituation: a dual-process theory. Psychological Review, 77(5), 419–450.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petrinovich, L. (1984). A two-factor dual-process theory of habituation and sensitization. In H. Peeke (Ed.), Habituation, sensitization, and behavior (pp. 17–55). Orlando: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Androulla Ioannou & Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous

Authors
  1. Androulla Ioannou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Menelaos Apostolou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Ioannou, A., Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. (2018). Interstimulus Interval. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1029-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1029-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation