bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Monologue on Biofeedback and Psychophysiology
Authors: Shapiro David
Published: February 2007

This paper is a commentary on the emergence of biofeedback methods and concepts as a significant behavioral strategy in psychophysiological research, and it includes a discussion of some contemporary issues. Operant conditioning methods have been useful in defining physiological activities as behavioral responses or as patterns of responses and in showing that these activities are subject to voluntary control or behavioral regulation. Other psychological and biological models are being developed in order to examine in detail the processes involved from different viewpoints and to enhance the clinical potential of biofeedback methods. This has stimulated further research on the effects of voluntary control of somatomotor and cognitive processes in achieving relatively permanent change in physiological functions. The complex interaction of cognitive factors and biofeedback control is illustrated in laboratory research on the regulation of systolic blood pressure. Finally, the problem of stimulus control of physiological activities and the variability of such activities under different conditions are seen as methodological and practical issues deserving greater attention. Related recent research is briefly discussed on the potential of biofeedback and voluntary control methods as a means of altering physiological and perceptual responses to stressful stimuli. It is concluded that the problems and potentials of biofeedback have provided a major stimulus to further basic research in psychophysiology.
P3 Waves to the Discrimination of Targets in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Stimulus Sequences
Authors: Courchesne Eric , Hillyard Steven A. , Courchesne Rachel Y.
Published: February 2007

Event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from subjects who discriminated infrequent target slides (particular letters or numbers) within a sequence of non‐target letters. In the first experiment, subjects counted occurrences of a fixed target letter that were randomly intermixed within either a homogeneous sequence of As (deviating condition) or a heterogeneous sequence of all the letters of the alphabet (non‐deviating condition). The P3 components (300‐600 msec) of the ERPs to the deviating and non‐deviating targets were virtually identical in amplitude, waveshape, latency and scalp distribution. Thus, the deviation of a target from an on‐going sequence is not a prerequisite for the elicitation of high‐amplitude P3 waves. A significant correlation of RT with P3 latency was found across‐subjects, but not within‐subjects. In a second experiment, subjects were presented with randomized sequences consisting of 80%As, 10%Bs, and 10% of either letters (between C and Z) or numbers (between 0 and 23). Although the a priori probability of Bs was about 20 times greater than any one of the letter or number slides, the averaged P3 waves to each of these types of targets did not differ from one another in amplitude, waveshape or scalp distribution. Apparently, the P3 wave is determined more by the probability of a stimulus class and the associated psychological operation than to the a priori probability of an individual stimulus.
A Further Study of the Dichotomization Theory in Detection of Information
Authors: Ben‐Shakhar Gershon
Published: February 2007

The purpose of the present study is to test two predictions of the “Dichotomization Theory” on the detection of information. This theory relates the differential autonomic responsivity in the detection of information task to basic psychophysiological phenomena—the orienting response and its habituation. The theory assumes that two independent habituation processes take place in the typical detection experiment: that of the relevant stimuli and that of the neutral stimuli, with a complete generalization of habituation within each stimulus category. It is suggested that this theory can explain results of past experiments unaccounted for by any of the other theoretical approaches in the area.

Two predictions of the dichotomization theory were tested using the skin conductance response in a “card test” type of experiment. Two hundred subjects participated in the experiment and were randomly assigned to five equal‐sized groups. The results tend to support the present theoretical approach.

On the baas of the results of the present study and previous ones, it is suggested that a two‐factor theory could be a sufficient explanation for the detection phenomenon. One factor relates to the role of habituation in the detection task which is described by the dichotomization theory, and the second factor relates to possible “signal value” property of the relevant stimulus.
The Onset of Contingency Awareness and Electrodermal Classical Conditioning: An Analysis of Temporal Relationships during Acquisition and Extinction
Authors: Biferno Michael A. , Dawson Michael E.
Published: February 2007

The temporal relationship between the onset of contingency awareness and the onset of discrimination classical conditioning of the skin conductance response was evaluated. Awareness of the CS‐UCS contingencies and skin conductance responses were measured trial‐by‐trial from 60 college student subjects during both acquisition and extinction. In addition, the conditioning paradigm was embedded within a masking task in order to delay the onset of awareness so that preaware and postaware trials could be analyzed. Two skin conductance responses were measured, a short latency first interval response (FIR) and a longer latency second interval response (SIR). Results showed that: 1) the onset of FIR discrimination conditioning began only after subjects indicated awareness of both the positive (CS+) and the negative (CS−) contingencies, 2) concurrent with the onset of this awareness, a) FIR discrimination increased suddenly due to increased responding to CS+ while b) SIR discrimination also increased suddenly for some subjects but gradually developed for others, 3) FIR extinction occurred only among subjects who exhibited expectancy extinction, and was due to decreased responding to CS+. The results are consistent with the interpretation that FIR discrimination is related to the cognitive processing of the CSs’significance, and that SIR discrimination is related to an individual difference variable which was reflected in the rate at which subjects became aware.
Relationship Between Essential Hypertension and Cognitive Functioning II: Effects of Biofeedback Training Generalize to Non‐Laboratory Environment
Authors: Kleinman Kenneth M. , Goldman Herbert , Snow Muriel Y. , Korol Bernard
Published: February 2007

Eight male essential hypertensives underwent 9 weekly 2‐hr biofeedback training sessions in which feedback (i.e., lights and tones) was contingent upon decreases in systolic pressure. Three weekly control sessions (with no feedback) preceded feedback training. Outside the laboratory, patients recorded blood pressure 5 times per day both at home and at work. Patients continued monitoring their blood pressure for up to 4 months after termination of feedback training. Both prior to and following the 9 weeks of biofeedback training, patients were given the Category Test (a subtest of the Halstead‐Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery). Feedback training resulted in significant reductions in blood pressure both within and outside of the laboratory. The reduction in non‐laboratory pressure readings persisted for up to 4 months after feedback training was terminated. A significant positive correlation was found between systolic pressure and number of errors on the Category Test given prior to biofeedback training, and between magnitude of decrease in systolic pressure recorded during biofeedback training and improvement in Category Test performance measured subsequent to training. After completion of the study, patients were rated (on the basis of structured interview data obtained following weekly feedback sessions) as to overall level of stress (i.e., general stressfulness of life style, accidents, illnesses, emotional problems, etc.). Patients rated high in overall stress had significantly higher blood pressure readings during the control period. However, magnitude of decrease in blood pressure recorded during feedback training was essentially the same regardless of rated stress level.
Parental Psychopathology, Age, and Race as Related to Electrodermal Activity of Children
Authors: Janes Cynthia L. , Hesselbrock Victor , Stern John A.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether parental psychopathology, age, and race affected electrodermal activity (EDA) and to examine relationships between psychopathology and EDA. Children of hospitalized schizophrenic, manic‐depressive, physically ill, and non‐ill (non‐hospitalized) parents were compared on five factors of EDA and one of body movement. The factors were derived from EDA and movement artifact data recorded during a habituation‐conditioning paradigm. Results indicated that parental illness (mental or physical) was not related to EDA, but children of psychotics had more movement during the experimental session than control children. Younger children showed greater responsiveness and more movement than older children. White children had more nonspecific activity than did black children. Significant but low correlations were found between EDA and pathology ratings made on the basis of psychiatric and psychological examinations. If both are prodromal signs of psychiatric illness, then at least within this age range, they appear to be quite different measures of predisposition to psychiatric disorder.
The Relationship Among Heart Rate, Carotid dP/dt, and Blood Pressure in Humans as a Function of the Type of Stress
Authors: Obrist Paul A. , Gaebelein Claude J. , Teller Emily S. , Langer Alan W. , Grignolo Alberto , Light Kathleen C. , McCubbin James A.
Published: February 2007

In three experiments involving young adult males, beta‐adrenergic influences on heart rate and carotid dP/dt were evaluated as a function of the degree of individual control over stressful events. Beta‐adrenergic effects were more pronounced under conditions in which the subjects were either led to believe they had control or where some control was actually provided, i.e., a shock avoidance task. Beta‐adrenergic influences were either minimal or rapidly dissipated under conditions where no control was possible, i.e., the cold pressor, a pornographic film, inescapable shocks, or conditions which provided ready mastery of the task. Where beta‐adrenergic effects were maximal, systolic blood pressure was more appreciably elevated while diastolic blood pressure was less elevated than when beta‐adrenergic effects were minimal. A pharmacological blocking agent (propranolol) was used in one experiment to specify the extent the various cardiovascular changes were influenced by beta‐adrenergic activity. The results are discussed with respect to issues concerning stimulus parameters, blood pressure control mechanisms, individual differences in cardiovascular reactivity, and some methodological problems of the current study.
Some Necessary Revisions of the Neuronal Model Concept of the Orienting Response
Authors: Velden Manfred
Published: February 2007

Sokolov's neural trace model as well as his entropy model of the orienting response are examined. Both seem inadequate for empirical and theoretical reasons. The role of the relevance aspect of a stimulus is stressed. It is proposed to consider the information transmitted by a stimulus as in some way being weighted by the relevance of the context to which it belongs. It is furthermore proposed to restrict the neural trace concept to the physical properties of the stimulus.

Major theoretical gain is achieved by viewing information content of a stimulus and its physical properties independently and by breaking the motivation determining the strength of an orienting response into a situation‐specific part (relevance) and a stimulus‐specific part (orienting incentive).
A Multiple‐Response Evaluation of EMG Biofeedback Performance During Training and Stress‐Induction Conditions
Authors: Gatchel Robert J. , Korman Maurice , Weis Charles B. , Smith Dan , Clarke Lewis
Published: February 2007

The present study evaluated multiple system physiological responding which accompanied EMG biofeedback performance under two conditions—during EMG biofeedback training sessions, and during the utilization of that training in the presence of a stressor. Twelve subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) an EMG biofeedback group, or 2) a false‐EMG biofeedback group. During the training sessions, significant frontalis EMG decreases were produced by the biofeedback group. This performance was associated with a concomitant decrease in heart rate and respiration rate, but an increase in skin conductance level. The biofeedback group was also able to maintain a low level of EMG activity during a stress‐induction procedure. However, this low level of activity did not generalize to other physiological responses. Heart rate and skin conductance levels both increased, which coincided with the subjects' self‐report of anxiety during this phase of the study. These data clearly demonstrate that single‐system arousal reduction produced by EMG biofeedback training, rather than producing cross‐system arousal reduction, produces specificity of a single response change under a stress‐inducing situation.
The Reliability of Arousal Threshold During Sleep
Authors: Bonnet Michael H. , Johnson Laverne C. , Webb Wilse B.
Published: February 2007

Thirty‐five subjects from two independent studies were awakened at EEG‐defined periods during the night with 1000 Hz ascending tone series. Awakenings were made five to eight times per night during stage 2, stage 4, or REM sleep over a series of nights in good and poor sleepers. Reliability was assessed within stage, within night, between stages, and between nights. Good and poor sleepers did not differ in either depth of sleep or reliability of arousal threshold and were thus pooled in the analyses. From night to night, the most consistency was seen in stage 4 (r=.74), although REM reliability (r̄1= .49) and stage 2 reliability (r̄1= .50 and r̄1= .69 in the two respective studies) estimates were also greater than zero. Early sleep onset and morning arousals were more variable. Reliability estimates on arousal thresholds taken within the same night for stage 2 were r= .64 and r̄1= .77 for the two studies and r= .96 for REM. The depth of sleep was not correlated with awake auditory threshold. It was concluded that five or six carefully placed arousals could give a good estimate of an individual's usual arousal threshold.
Conditioned Diastolic Blood Pressure as a Function of Induced Masseter Muscle Tension
Authors: Elder S. Thomas , Verzwyvelt Elizabeth A. , Mcafee Robert D.
Published: February 2007

The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to attempt to replicate a previous study in which subjects were trained to produce bi‐directional changes in diastolic BP as great as 10% to 15% of baseline, and 2) to determine whether the same subjects could acquire such a BP response under conditions of induced muscle tension. A 2x3 design was used in which 24 subjects were randomly assigned to one of two training procedures (feedback vs no feedback), and one of three muscular tension conditions. Acquisition took place over 14 sessions; 7 were used to train UP and 7 were used to condition DOWN responses. Results showed that during UP training, subjects learned to raise their BP in the absence of induced tension, but not when tension was present. However, the same subjects learned to lower their BP with and without induced tension, although their performance under the tension condition was only marginally reliable.
The Use of the Semi‐Markov Model in the Study of the Development of Sleep‐Wake States in Infants
Authors: Bowe Thomas R. , Anders Thomas F.
Published: February 2007

Employing a semi‐Markov model, all‐night sleep‐wake patterns of 68 full‐term, normal infants, 32 at 2 mos and 36 at 9 mos of age, were analyzed. The results are compared to the changes in proportional relationships of sleep‐wake states with age and to the time series method of binary autocorrelation. Simulated nights of sleep were also computed using parameters derived from the semi‐Markov model.

We conclude that the sleep process in infants meets the assumptions of a semi‐Markov model and that using such a model provides information about the maturation of transition and sequencing mechanisms of sleep‐wake states. Simulating sleep patterns offers an opportunity to model hypothetical disturbances of sleep and assess the effectiveness of potential interventions.
Coronary‐Prone Behavior Pattern, Task Incentive, and Cardiovascular Response
Authors: Manuck Stephen B. , Garland Frederick N.
Published: February 2007

In this experiment it was predicted that the presence or absence of a performance‐contingent incentive (monetary reward) would mediate effects of the coronary‐prone behavior pattern on behavioral and cardiovascular responses to a difficult cognitive task. Accordingly, 44 subjects of the Type A (coronary‐prone) and Type B (non‐coronary‐prone) behavior patterns were assigned to one of two task conditions, labelled Incentive and No Incentive. Results indicated that under No Incentive Type As performed better at the experimental task and reported less state anxiety than Type Bs, whereas in the Incentive condition, Type A and B subjects showed no differences in task performance or self‐report of anxiety. Concerning cardiovascular measures, analysis of variance revealed significantly greater systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure elevations for Type A than Type B subjects, but showed no reliable interactions of the Type A, B and Incentive factors nor any related effects regarding heart rate or diastolic blood pressure. Individual differences in subjects' scores on the inventory for coronary‐prone behavior pattern, however, correlated positively with heart rate accelerations in the No Incentive condition, but did not covary with heart rate changes under Incentive. With respect to subjects' perceptions of the task, self‐report data suggested that Type As responded in a more active and involved manner and resisted feelings of helplessness to a greater extent than their Type B counterparts.
Sleep Recordings in the Laboratory and Home: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Coates Thomas J. , Rosekind Mark R. , Strossen Randall J. , Thoresen Carl E. , Kirmil‐Gray Kathleen
Published: February 2007

All‐night sleep recordings were obtained for 8 subjects who slept for 3 consecutive nights in a standard sleep laboratory and for 3 consecutive nights at home. The order of recording locations was counterbalanced across subjects. No first night effects were found in either location. Subjects' sleep in the two locations was highly correlated, with nonsignificant correlations occurring on only four variables (Number of Stage 1 Arousals, Minutes of Stage 1 Sleep, Latency to First REM, and number of REM periods). Significant differences between mean values were found on four variables: Minutes of Stage 3 Sleep, Percent of Stage 2 Sleep, Percent of Stage 3 Sleep, and Number of REM periods. Variances on Total Sleep Time and Latency to Sleep Onset were greater in the laboratory than at home. Generalizability theory was used to generate estimates of the degree to which each experimental factor (subjects, occasions, and raters) influenced observed score variance in each location. There was less between and within‐subject variability at home on Total Sleep Time, Latency to Sleep Onset, and Stages 1 and 2 Sleep. Minutes Awake after Sleep Onset, Number of Arousals, and REM Sleep were less variable in the laboratory than at home. Taken together, these data suggest strong relationships between estimates of sleep parameters obtained in the two locations. But recordings in different locations may yield different values on some variables for groups of persons and for some individuals within those groups.
Task Dependent Cerebral Lateralization of the 40 Hertz EEG Rhythm
Authors: Spydell John D. , Ford Martin R. , Sheer Daniel E.
Published: February 2007

Task dependent lateralization of the 40 Hz EEG rhythm and its relationship to 40 Hz EMG activity were investigated in 24 right‐handed subjects. Each subject was administered four tests: verbal analogies, mathematical problems, facial discrimination, and geometric figure rotation. Bilateral EEG and EMG activity were recorded during each of the tests. Lateralization of the 40 Hz EEG rhythm was found during three of the four tasks. No comparable lateralization of 40 Hz EMG activity was found. Results are discussed in terms of 40 Hz EEG as resulting from a focused state of cortical arousal, and of 40 Hz EEG as differentiable from 40 Hz EMG.
The Effects of Feedback Sensory Modality, Feedback Information Content, and Sex on Short‐Term Biofeedback Training of Three Responses
Authors: O'Connell Michael F. , Frerker Daved L. , Russ Kenneth L.
Published: February 2007

In three factorial experiments, auditory vs visual vs tactile feedback, analog feedback vs analog feedback which was anchored, and sex, were varied to assess the effects of these variables on performance in short‐term biofeedback training of heart rate reduction, hand temperature increase, and forehead muscle tension reduction. A total of 108 subjects served in the study. Moderate but reliable changes were found during the course of the training session for all three physiological responses. The ability to reduce heart rate in a single training session did not appear to be a function of any of the variables manipulated in this study, but rather could be attributed to adaptation. In both muscle tension and temperature training, however, there were significant interactions between sex and sensory modality of the feedback stimulus and, in the case of muscle tension training, between information content of the feedback signal and sex. The overall pattern of results indicated that performance during biofeedback training is a complicated function of sex and the type of signal used to provide feedback, and that this function is not constant across physiological response systems.
A Bio‐Informational Theory of Emotional Imagery
Authors: Lang Peter J.
Published: February 2007

A theory of emotional imagery is described which conceives the image in the brain to be a conceptual network, controlling specific somatovisceral patterns, and constituting a prototype for overt behavioral expression. Evidence for the hypothesis that differentiated efferent activity is associated with type and content of imaginal activity is considered. Recent work in cognitive psychology is described, which treats both the generation of sensory imagery and text comprehension and storage as examples of the processing of propositional information. A similar propositional analysis is applied to emotional imagery as it is employed in the therapeutic context. Experiments prompted by this view show that the conceptual structure of the image and its associated efferent outflow can be modified directly through instructions and through shaping of reports of image experience. The implications of the theory for psychopathology are considered, as well as its relevance to therapeutic behavior change.
Effects of Electrodermal Lability and Stimulus Significance on Electrodermal Response Amplitude to Stimulus Change
Authors: Siddle David A. T. , O'Gorman John G. , Wood Lorraine
Published: February 2007

The effects of electrodermal lability and stimulus significance on the amplitude of the skin conductance response (SCR) component of the orienting response (OR) to stimulus change were examined. Subjects were pre‐selected in terms of the frequency of nonspecific responses (NSRs) displayed during a period of no stimulation. In Experiment 1 (N = 56), high and low NSR male subjects received 12 presentations of a 5‐sec, 1000 Hz tone followed by a test trial on which tone frequency was 500 Hz. Half of the subjects in each NSR group were required to perform a reaction time (RT) response to stimulus offset. Although high NSR groups and RT groups displayed larger test‐trial responses than low NSR and no‐RT groups respectively, stimulus change alone was sufficient to produce an increase in SCR amplitude. In Experiment 2 (N = 40), high and low NSR male subjects received 12 visually‐presented female names, and on trial 13, half the subjects in each NSR group received their own name, while the other half received a neutral male name. High NSR groups and own‐name groups displayed larger test‐trial responses than low NSR groups and neutral‐name groups respectively. However, stimulus change alone was sufficient to produce an increase in SCR amplitude in the high NSR group. The results are interpreted as indicating that stimulus change alone is sufficient to produce an increase in OR amplitude, and that the relationship between stimulus change and stimulus significance is additive rather than multiplicative.
Cardiac Conditioning in the Rat: US Intensity Function and Response Constancy Theory
Authors: Galizio Catherine Nielsen , Eisman Eugene
Published: February 2007

The classically conditioned cardiac response to electric shock was examined in five groups of 10 rats each. Twenty trials were presented each day for 10 days with either a 1 mA, 2 mA, 3 mA, 4 mA, or 5 mA subcutaneous shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Data were evaluated with reference to a general theory of autonomic activity termed Response Constancy theory. A mathematical derivative of the theory is a significant negative correlation between prestimulus levels and change scores, i.e. the Law of Initial Values. The theory predicts that degree of control exerted by a stimulus is reflected by the ability of the stimulus to produce a particular level of activity. Decreasing variability of conditioned heart rate was monotonically related to US intensity throughout, and negative correlations between prestimulus levels and change scores were observed in all groups. Magnitude of decelerative change was an inverted U‐shaped function of US intensity in acquisition, and a monotonic function of US intensity at asymptote.
Perceptual Preparedness in Man: Brief Forewarning Reduces Electrodermal and Psychophysical Response to Noxious Stimulation
Authors: Waid William M.
Published: February 2007

The finding that the skin conductance response (SCR) to a noxious stimulus is reduced by a warning has been attributed to the information the warning conveys or, alternatively, to interference with the SCR to the stimulus by the preceding SCR to the warning. The purpose of this study was to test whether a low‐intensity warning stimulus can reduce the SCR to a noxious stimulus independently of SCR interference and produce similar reductions in subjective judgments of stimulus intensity. Eighty subjects were exposed to 30 pairings of a warning with a 98‐dB (SPL) noise. The interval between warning and noise was varied (0.5, 1, 3, 11 sec) from one pairing to another. Contrary to the SCR‐interference hypothesis, there was a significant linear decrease in the SCR to noise from 0‐ to 11‐sec warning trials. Warnings of 1 sec also significantly reduced magnitude estimations of noise intensity. A control procedure with an innocuous 68‐dB tone substituted for the noise indicated that the SCR to innocuous stimuli may also be reduced by warnings, but that the corresponding magnitude estimations are not similarly affected.
Systematic Trends Across the Night in Human Sleep Cycles
Authors: Feinberg I. , Floyd T. C.
Published: February 2007

The durations of successive sleep cycles, defined according to NREM (stage 2) or REM onsets, were objected to trend analysis in three groups of normal subjects and in a group of elderly patients with chronic brain syndrome (CBS). NREM sleep cycles showed consistent curvilinear trends for all groups except that the trend in children was distinguished by a lengthy first NREM cycle. REM steep cycles showed quite similar curvilinear trends for the three normal age groups with the middle two cycles being longer than the first and fourth. In the CBS patients, REM sleep cycles did not show a significant trend across the night. Real‐time cycles (i.e., with time awake included) manifested trends quite similar to those excluding waking. The trends in sleep cycle durations are normative characteristics of sleep which may not be apparent on a single night. A more constant cycle was found in the CBS elderly and may indicate brain pathology. Sleep cycle trends, along with such other temporal characteristics as the decline in stage 4, may provide clues to the metabolic processes which underlie the sleep EEG. They also provide a more exact basis for investigation of hypothesized biorhythm correlates of NREM‐REM cycles.
The Statistical Analysis of Heart Rate: A Review Emphasizing Infancy Data
Authors: Richards John E.
Published: February 2007

Heart rate is a dependent variable used widely in psychological and psychophysiological research. Several statistical problems arise in the analysis of heart rate data, many of them specific to infancy research. The present paper discusses the problems of a statistically appropriate cardiac measure, the Law of Initial Values, the problem of differential variability in heart rate scores, and the use of multivariate statistical methods in analyzing heart rate data. Special attention is given to those problems and solutions which have potential application to the analysis of infant heart rate data. A flowchart is presented which may guide the researcher in the appropriate use of the several statistical techniques reviewed in this paper.
Human Auditory Attention: The Olivocochlear Bundle May Function as a Peripheral Filter
Authors: Lukas Jeffrey H.
Published: February 2007

Two experiments examined whether focused attention toward a visual display would alter the sensory transmission properties of the human auditory nerve and brainstem centers to irrelevant auditory tone pips. In the first experiment, 16 subjects either listened to 1000 Hz, 50dB SL tone pips presented binaurally at 10/sec (“Listen”), or mentally counted letters flashed rapidly on a screen (“Look”). The auditory brainstem potentials recorded from the vertex were averaged on‐line in groups of 500 with a 10‐msec sweep and a bandpass of 150–1500 Hz. Results indicated that during the “Look” trials, Wave 5 generated from the inferior colliculus (7.322 msec latency) was significantly reduced in amplitude by 16.4% and increased in latency by 27 μsec. A second experiment with 8 subjects demonstrated that the effects of attention are limited to the auditory nerve component when using 8000 Hz stimuli but are significant for both the auditory nerve and collicular components when a mid‐frequency (2000 Hz) tone pip is used. These results suggest that during concentrated attention toward visual stimuli, irrelevant auditory stimuli may be attenuated at a peripheral level possibly through the action of the efferent olivocochlear bundle.
Cardiovascular and Electrodermal Response Patterns in Heart Rate Reactive Individuals During Psychological Stress
Authors: Lawler Kathleen A.
Published: February 2007

The goal of this research was to examine the cardiovascular and electrodermal response patterns of heart rate reactive and nonreactive individuals to psychological stress. Sixty males were tested while resting, listening to tones, identifying tone patterns, and performing mental arithmetic. Dependent variables were blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and skin conductance responses. Based on the change in HR from baseline to the first minute of mental arithmetic, two extreme reactivity groups of 15 subjects each were formed. Results indicated that HR reactive subjects had higher systolic blood pressure and HR than nonreactives. Reactives showed greater HR lability during all the tasks and a phasic acceleration to tones, while nonreactives showed a deceleration. Finally, comparisons of skin conductance responses indicated that subjects who were nonreactive when measuring HR were more reactive when measuring skin conductance. The HR reactivity seen in these subjects has been linked to predisposition to psychosomatic illness, and the current findings are discussed in that light.
Dependence of EDR Recovery Times and Other Electrodermal Measures on Scale of Measurement: A Methodological Clarification
Authors: Sagberg Fridulv
Published: February 2007

Edelberg (1970) and Boucsein and Hoffmann (1979) found shorter recovery times with a constant voltage method as compared with a constant current method. In the present paper it is pointed out that this effect may be due to the use of different scales of measurement rather than to any electrophysiological aspects of the recording procedure. The mathematical relationship between resistance and conductance implies that recovery times are shorter for SCRs than for corresponding SRRs. For demonstration purposes, recovery times were computed from an SR record and compared with those computed from the same record after computerized transformation to SC. Research implications of the demonstrated effect are discussed, and the relevance of measurement scale to two other electrodermal measures, area below the curve and range‐corrected amplitude, is pointed out.
Heart Rate, Contingent Negative Variation, and Evoked Potentials during Anticipation of Affective Stimulation
Authors: Klorman Rafael , Ryan Richard M.
Published: February 2007

Thirteen subjects low in fear of mutilation and 11 subjects high in this fear were exposed to repeated presentations of a 6‐sec tone followed by slides depicting a mutilated body or a 6‐sec tone of a different frequency paired with a slide of a neutral scene. For both groups, the N140 component of the evoked potential was larger following the signal for gruesome slides. Slow EEG activity displayed two negative waves. Notably, the late CNV wave was present even though a motor response was not required at the end of the foreperiod. Overall, high‐fear subjects' early waves tended to be larger preceding neutral scenes than gruesome slides, whereas low‐fear subjects showed a trend in the opposite direction. Similar but largely nonsignificant trends were present for the late wave.

Heart rate reactions of both groups in the foreperiod included an early deceleration, acceleration, and a late deceleration. Among high‐fear subjects both the acceleratory and late deceleratory limbs were greater preceding mutilation than neutral slides. In contrast, low‐fear subjects' reactions lacked the acceleratory reaction and did not vary as a function of type of warning signal. These results, therefore, indicate differential autonomic patterns of anticipation of affective stimulation as a function of individual differences in fear.
Respiratory and Vascular Responses to Simple Visual Stimuli in Autistics, Retardates and Normals
Authors: James Angela L. , Barry Robert J.
Published: February 2007

Experiment 1 examined changes in respiratory period, peripheral pulse amplitude and cephalic pulse amplitude in autistic, retarded and normal children as a function of stimulus novelty. The respiratory measure showed habituation in the retardates and normals but not in the autistic group. Measures of peripheral and cephalic pulse amplitude showed no habituation in any group, but a higher mean response level for autistics. Autistic children thus differed from both retarded and normal children in two respects: a failure to habituate phasic respiratory responses, and enhanced response magnitude in the vascular systems. This experiment was replicated using groups of preschool children and university students. Results indicated significant age effects in the vascular systems, with preschoolers showing enhanced response magnitude. It was thus argued that autistics may display a general developmental lag in phasic vascular response measures, and an additional specific deficit indicated by failure to habituate respiratory responses. The implications of these group differences were discussed in relation to the etiology of autistic psychopathology.
Cognitive and Somatic Events Associated With Discriminative Changes in Heart Rate
Authors: McCanne Thomas R. , Iennarella Ralph S.
Published: February 2007

In Experiment 1, 23 males were given instructions to think about anxiety‐provoking cognitive events (n= 12) or relaxing cognitive events (n= 11) during 20 30‐sec training trials. Significant pretrial‐to‐trial increases in heart rate were noted during anxiety instructions and significant pretrial‐to‐trial decreases in heart rate were detected during relaxation instructions. In Experiment 2,39 males were again given instructions to think about anxiety‐provoking events (n= 19) or relaxing events (n= 20) during 20 30‐sec training trials. In addition, half of the subjects in each of these instructional conditions were given digital heart rate feedback consistent with their instructions (e.g., were reinforced for heart rate increases during anxiety instructions), whereas half of the subjects in each instructional condition were given feedback inconsistent with their instructions (e.g., were reinforced for heart rate decreases during anxiety instructions). As in Experiment 1, significant pretrial‐to‐trial increases in heart rate occurred during anxiety instructions and significant pretrial‐to‐trial decreases in heart rate were noted during relaxation instructions. The type of feedback which subjects received had no effect on the heart rate changes. The heart rate changes in both experiments were generally accompanied by parallel changes in respiratory rate but not by changes in chin muscle tension. It appears that cognitive events can produce increases and decreases in heart rate which are comparable in magnitude to those noted during biofeedback.
A Psychophysiological Comparison of Type A and B Men Exposed to Failure and Uncontrollable Noise
Authors: Lovallo William R. , Pishkin Vladimir
Published: February 2007

The present study examined resting levels of and stress‐related changes in blood pressure, peripheral vasomotor activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, and serum lipids in young men classified as Type A (coronary prone) or Type B (non‐prone) by a structured interview method. Stress was induced during two preliminary tasks by the occurrence of noise alone, failure alone, or noise plus failure. The results showed that during rest the groups differed only in vasomotor activity, the A's being more constricted than the B's. During work on the tasks, the groups were substantially the same in heart rate and blood pressure; however, the A's showed greater sympathetic arousal than B's in skin conductance level and spontaneous response rate. Extreme A's showed higher serum cholesterol than B's both before and after testing, and also showed a larger effect of noise on triglyceride levels than did B's.
Striate Muscle Tensional Patterning in Frontalis EMG Biofeedback
Authors: Fridlund Alan J. , Fowler Stephen C. , Pritchard David A.
Published: February 2007

Four normal male subjects were exposed to 5 30‐min alternate‐day sessions of continuous frontalis EMG biofeedback training preceded by 15‐min adaptation periods. A computer‐controlled scanning electromyograph sampled integrated EMG activity from the frontalis and seven adjunctive muscle groups. Tensional profiles for all eight muscle groups were assembled every 1.84 sec, resulting in an 8 × 960 data array for each session. Statistical analyses revealed that although frontalis EMG levels decreased significantly in the training, those of adjunctive recording sites did not. Cross correlation analyses for session 1 frontalis and adjunctive site EMG levels showed typically negligible correlations at all temporal lags, although some neck sites showed moderate cross correlation with the frontalis in 2 subjects. Separate principal‐component analyses for sessions 1 and 5 produced little evidence for a general muscle tension factor. Low coefficients of congruence between session 1 and session 5 truncated‐component solutions demonstrated little replicability of tensional linkages from the first to the last session.
VER Similarity between Alcoholic Probands and Their First‐Degree Relatives
Authors: Buffington Veronica , Martin Donald C. , Becker Joseph
Published: February 2007

This study investigated the visual evoked response (VER) similarity of 36 nontwin pairs of relatives. Subject pairs were obtained from a study of alcoholism and affective disorders. Pairs differed in age, sex, and history of alcohol abuse. Because of these differences, plus the assumed positive influence of genetics on VER similarity, nontwin relatives were expected to have less similar VERs than those previously reported for twins but more similar VERs than the nonrelative pairs. Two VER parameters were investigated: waveform and a slope measure of augmenting‐reducing. A new randomization test of similarities was used in the analyses. As predicted, the VER waveforms and slopes of nontwin relative pairs were less similar than those reported for Mz twins but significantly more similar than those of random pairs.
Immediate Effects of Repeated and Non‐Repeated Instructions and Task Difficulty on Task, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Performance
Authors: Rogers Robert L. , Elder S. Thomas
Published: February 2007

To assess the effects of instructions and task difficulty on task, cardiovascular, and respiratory behavior in a situation where the instructions were either given once or repeated on the second day, a 3 by 3 by 2 experimental design was employed. Three sets of instructions (POSITIVE, CONTROL, NEGATIVE) were compared factorially with three difficulty levels (EASY, MODERATE, HARD) of a slide identification task, and observations were carried out over 2 consecutive daily sessions in which the initial instructions were repeated for only half of the subjects on the second day. Thirty‐six undergraduates served as subjects and simple reaction time, error rate, heart rate, respiration rate, respiration amplitude, skin temperature (hand and forehead), and diastolic blood pressure were recorded simultaneously. That task conditions were different from one another was confirmed by comparisons of reaction time and errors during the tasks, with the EASY groups exhibiting the best performance and the HARD groups showing the longest reaction times and the most errors. That the differential instructions influenced cardiovascular performance was evident when comparisons were made among finger pulse amplitude, diastolic blood pressure, and hand temperature. Reaction times and error rates were unaffected by the differential instructions. With the exception of diastolic blood pressure, comparisons between days 1 and 2 revealed that instructional differences which emerged on day 1 were either attenuated or eliminated by day 2. Comparisons between repeated and non‐repeated instruction groups failed to yield any reliable differences.
Cardiac Orienting and Startle Blink Modification in Novel and Signal Situations
Authors: Bohlin Gunilla , Graham Frances K. , Silverstein Louis D. , Hackley Steven A.
Published: February 2007

Prior work, has shown that reflex blinking can be facilitated by directing attention to the reflex stimulus. It was assumed that if facilitation were due to sensory enhancement, blinking would also be facilitated by novelty‐induced orienting prior to the reflex‐eliciting stimulus. The assumption was tested by establishing an expectancy for weak tactile stimulation to be followed by an acoustic reflex stimulus and then introducing, without announcement, trials on which weak acoustic or visual stimuli occurred and were followed by the reflex stimulus. Interspersed control trials of the reflex stimulus alone provided baseline data. Novel trials did produce the expected facilitation of reflex latency and magnitude. Similar effects were obtained when the same stimuli were presented to a different group of subjects with instructions to judge duration of the reflex stimulus on control trials and when warned by the weak acoustic and visual stimuli. In both experiments, blink latency but not magnitude was facilitated by the irrelevant tactile stimuli, thus supporting previous suggestions of a dissociation between these measures of reflex strength. A third group of subjects, receiving identical stimulation, was instructed to attend to the weak acoustic and visual lead stimuli but to perform no task. Attending to the lead stimuli did not produce facilitation of either blink magnitude or latency.
Physiological Responses to Clicks during Zen, Yoga, and TM Meditation
Authors: Becker David E. , Shapiro David
Published: February 2007

Two studies have been widely quoted as indicating the differing states of consciousness in Zen vs Yoga meditation. A replication and extension were attempted. Very experienced Zen, Yoga, and TM meditators with average lengths of experience of 7.5 yrs, 5 yrs, and 7 yrs, respectively, and two groups of controls were presented with auditory clicks during meditation. EEG alpha suppression and skin conductance response both showed clear habituation which did not differ among groups, thus failing to replicate the earlier studies. The N100, P200, and P300 components of the EEG average evoked potential were also measured.
Slow Cortical Potentials in Subjects With High or Low Scores on a Questionnaire Measuring Physical Anhedonia and Body Image Distortion
Authors: Lutzenberger W. , Elbert T. , Rockstroh B. , Birbaumer N. , Stegagno L.
Published: February 2007

Slow cortical potentials, response speed, and peripheral physiological responses were investigated in two experiments with four groups of male subjects. Experiment 1 examined constant foreperiod reaction time in a sound‐light‐button press sequence with an interstimulus interval of 2 sec. Experiment 2 investigated constant foreperiod reaction time conditions with a sudden change from controllable to uncontrollable offset of an aversive imperative stimulus. There were two visual warning stimuli of 6‐sec duration followed by an aversive or neutral imperative stimulus to be terminated by button press within 1 sec. Forty trials of this contingency were followed by 40 trials with 5‐sec duration of imperative stimuli irrespective of response speed. Subjects were selected by high or low scores on two questionnaire scales measuring physical anhedonia (PA) and body image distortion (BI).

In the first paradigm subjects with high PA scores as compared to low‐scoring subjects showed less resolution of left precentral CNV after S2, i.e., a more pronounced postimperative negative component. In the second paradigm a postimperative negative variation (PINV) developed in all groups, but was more pronounced in frontal recordings and in subjects with high PA and BI scores. Results are discussed in the context of electrocortical phenomena observed in psychopathological groups.
Occipital Alpha Activity as a Measure of Retinal Involvement in Oculomotor Control
Authors: Wertheim A. H.
Published: February 2007

Two experiments were carried out to test the hypothesis that a reduction of alpha energy in the occipital EEG reflects an increased dependency of oculomotor control on retinal feedback. In an ocular pursuit task subjects followed a target with their eyes. The target either moved in a repetitive, predictable pattern or varied unpredictably. Subjects were instructed to minimize eye‐tracking errors during the task, and performance feedback was provided. Oculomotor control depends on retinal feedback during on‐target performance in the unpredictable condition and during error correction in both conditions. However, subjects' on‐target performance in the predictable condition may involve some degree of automatic control, which is less dependent on retinal feedback. As expected, alpha activity was maximal in this condition. In a second experiment, alpha activity was shown not to reflect impaired information processing, since here again alpha was greatest during correct on‐target performance in the predictable condition, while reaction times (to visual stimuli presented in the moving target) were shortest in this condition and appeared to be independent of the amount of alpha during stimulus presentation.