Cardiac startle and orienting responses in the great apes.

An investigation of cardiac patterns of startle and orienting in response to auditory and vibrotactile stimuli in 3 infant chimpanzees and 1 gorilla revealed cardiac acceleration in response to the initial presentations of stimuli of either modality. Cardiac acceleration was subject to rapid habituation and replaced on subsequent trials by cardiac deceleration. Results from chimpanzees and the gorilla were similar, although a slower rate of habituation was apparent in the gorilla. Findings are consistent with those obtained from humans and monkeys. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)