[Prediction by a man of his readiness to deliberately inhibit fear in anticipation of probable presentation of stressful stimuli].

Subjects with high tested anxiety which correlated with a rapid elaboration and stability of conditioned skin-galvanic reflex (SGR) to a signal of the hand electro-cutaneous stimulation, were trained to prognosticate their probable success in voluntarily suppressing the conditioned SGR with the purpose of avoiding stimulation. By taking a decision in assessing their current emotional state on the base of signals of visual feedback (SGR trace on the oscilloscope screen), they sanctioned the probability of presentation to them of the conditioned stimulus from a certain moment of the training session. The decision was preceded by extinction of SGR waves evoked by mental intention to be subjected to the test in a situation of risk.