In the first part of the investigation, two measures were obtained from each of 86 subjects: (i) the rate at which spiral after‐effect persistence increases as a function of stimulus intensity (spiral slope score), and (ii) a motion sickness susceptibility score obtained from a personal history questionnaire (MSQ). A positive and significant relation was found between these two measures, thus confirming previous findings. Two groups, termed receptives (R) and non‐receptives (NR), were constituted on the basis of their extreme spiral slope values (17 subjects in each group). They also differed markedly in their susceptibility to motion sickness. In the second part of the investigation, these two groups were compared on a variety of measures reflecting the response of the semicircular canals to a graded series of impulsive stimuli. The results indicated that the R group produced a greater sensory response than the NR group. This result was interpreted as providing further support for the hypothesis that variation in motion sickness susceptibility reflects characteristic differences in the way the central nervous system transduces sensory intensity. In addition, discrepancies were noted between the present results and those predicted by theoretical equations governing the mechanics of the semicircular canals.
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James Reason (1969) studied this question.