Attention, eye closure and the acoustic reflex.

The first part of this study considered the effects of differing states of attention on the acoustic reflex response. Tasks directing attention towards and away from the acoustic stimuli were compared with a neutral task. A significant reduction in reflex response magnitude was associated with the task directing attention away from the stimulus. The stimulus-directing task did not significantly affect the acoustic reflex response. The second part of the study investigated the effect of eye closure on the acoustic reflex response. The results showed an increase in reflex response magnitude with eye closure but not with darkness alone. This implied that the increase was associated with the muscular effort involved in eye closure.