Review of The startle pattern

Abstract

Reviews the book, The startle pattern by C. Landis and W. Hunt (1939). Here one finds a very interesting portrait of this newly found unit of behavior. The account is quite complete giving a description of the problem involved, the method and the modifications in technique, the findings for each type of subject, even separate subjects, where all members of one type do not respond the same. The book is well organized and easy to read since each chapter gives a complete picture. The authors have selected their subjects in a way that attempts to answer the question of how the startle pattern varies in different kinds of personalities. There is a summarizing chapter in which the authors discuss the relationship of their findings to current points of view about the nature of emotions and this should be of wide interest to those in academic psychology. On the whole the book is good and, for anyone doing research in emotions, it is valuable. Certainly the technique used here is worth pursuing as a research tool and, if results continue to be as consistent as these workers have found, it will be very valuable diagnostically. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)