Biofeedback and the Modification of Behavior


Book Description

In this book, I have attempted to evaluate critically the very large literature which has accumulated in the area of biofeedback over the past 10-15 years. As might be expected in any area of psychology with clinical possibilities, the literature divides itself into two main categories-fundamental research studies and therapeutic studies. It is now apparent that the clinical applications of biofeed back have far outstripped their fundamental research bases, with the inevitable result that the initial wave of enthusiasm may be replaced with an unnecessarily severe skepticism. Either extreme position is unjustified. Biofeedback does rep resent an important new approach to the elucidation of the role played by internal systems in the adjustment of the organism to its environment. But its potential will only be revealed if its use in practice is soundly based on fundamental research. There are promising signs that this is being realized so that there is cause for optimism. Aubrey J. Yates Perth, Australia A Note on the References With the exception of no more than two or three papers, all the references in this book have been obtained and read. However, many of them were published in journals which will not be readily accessible to the reader who may be interested in consulting more directly particular articles which attract his attention.




Biofeedback


Book Description

The chapters of this book were prepared as task force reports under the aegis of the Biofeedback Society of America (BSA). The impetus for the present generation of task force reports can be dated back to 1982, when John D. Rugh, as President-Elect of the Society, announced that the updating of the task force reports would be given high priority during his term as President. An ad hoc Task Force Committee was appointed in 1983, and the committee set the following objectives: (1) solicit a widely based stream of input from all segments of the Biofeedback Society of America, (2) establish a peer review system to assure the highest degree of scholarship and an unbiased approach, (3) select for area authors only individuals who have profound knowledge of the area and who have demonstrated the ability to extend understanding by reviewing and criticizing the literature, (4) prepare all reports according to a standard ized format, and (5) publish all the reports simultaneously. Input came from several sources. Many people responded with ideas and suggestions to an announcement in the BSA Newsletter that the task force reports were being revised. In 1984, a symposium was conducted at the BSA annual meeting, which included round table dis cussions and dialogues between task force report authors and the BSA membership.










A Comparative Investigation of Attention Control Training and Attention Control Training Augmented by EMG Biofeedback [microform]


Book Description

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effectiveness of EMG biofeedbacK and Attention Control Training as instrumental techniques for muscle tension reduction and relaxation training. Twenty-seven male subjects were administered Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory and then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. The two experimental groups participated in three, twenty minute relaxation training sessions each week, for six weeks, while no treatment was given to the control group. EMG activity was monitored at the frontal region for all three groups. A four-way ANOVAR with repeated measures indicated a significant treatment group by periods interaction at the p




The Effects of Electromyographic Biofeedback on Test Anxiety and Performance


Book Description

The applicability of electromyographic biofeedback toward alleviating test taking anxiety was examined along with the effects of relaxation training on general anxiety, locus of control, test performance, and muscle tension during a test. The Achievement Anxiety Test (AAT) was administered to 271 freshman psychology students. Students whose scores indicated high levels of test anxiety were invited to participate in the study. Twenty-seven volunteers were randomly assigned to three groups. Biofeedback (B) subjects received verbal instructions and muscle tension (EMG) biofeedback. Instruction-control (IC) subjects received verbal relaxation instructions alone. A second control group (C) received no treatment. B and IC subjects received eight half-hour relaxation sessions spread over four weeks. Forehead EMG was monitored during each session. Several self-report measures were administered to all subjects before and after training. They included the AAT, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Rotter Locus of Control (I-E) Scale. Additionally, forehead muscle tension data were collected on all subjects while they completed an easy and a hard form of the Raven Progressive Matrices test (presented with ego-involving instructions). Equivalent forms of the tests were used pre and post, and the forms were counterbalanced across subjects. Analysis of the EMG data collected during relaxation training indicated that B and IC subjects significantly reduced forehead muscle tension but did not differ from each other. EMG biofeedback appears to add little to the effectiveness of brief relaxation instructions and practice. Analysis of anxiety measures indicated that B and IC subjects changed significantly pre to post while C subjects changed very little. No between -group differences were found on any of the measures. On the I-E scale, only IC subjects showed a significant shift toward being more internal, reflecting an increased belief in personal control. The effect of relaxation training on test performance and muscle tension during testing was evaluated with an analysis of variance. Within-group EMG and performance changes were nonsignificant, suggesting there was no generalization of training effects. In addition, EMGs did not differ between Easy and Hard tests, although performance scores indicated there were real differences in test difficulty. The effects of relaxation training in this study are clearly limited to the reduction of resting forehead muscle tension and self-report anxiety. No training effects were found on test performance or EMG during testing. These results are due either to the methodological limitations of a laboratory testing situation, or that forehead EMG is not as good a measure of anxiety as other researchers have suggested.




Progress in Behavior Modification


Book Description

Progress in Behavior Modification, Volume 6, is a multidisciplinary serial publication that encompasses the contributions of psychology, psychiatry, social work, speech therapy, education, and rehabilitation. This serial aims to meet the need for a review publication that undertakes to present yearly in-depth evaluations that include a scholarly examination of theoretical underpinnings, a careful survey of research findings, and a comparative analysis of existing techniques and methodologies. The discussions center on a wide spectrum of child and adult disorders. The book opens with a chapter on the various behavioral procedures for treating insomnia. This is followed by separate chapters on behavioral analysis and formulation of the problem of stuttering; the assessment and treatment of enuresis and encopresis in children; and the development of behavior modification in Latin America. Subsequent chapters deal with the analysis of behavior modification from the point of view of its social identity; the conceptual and clinical literature resulting from the broader emphasis in behavior modification; and the relationship between therapist and client.




Mind/Body Integration


Book Description

Biofeedback training is a research methodology and training procedure through which people can learn voluntary control over their internal physiological systems. It is a merger of mUltiple disciplines with interest deriving from many sources-from basic understanding of psychophysiology to a desire for enhanced self-awareness. The goals of biofeedback are to develop an increased awareness of relevant internal physiological functions, to establish control over these functions, to generalize control from an experimental or clinical setting to everyday life, and to focus attention on mind/body integration. Biofeedback is explored in many different settings. In the university, biofeed back equipment and applications can be found in the departments of experi mental and clinical psychology, counseling, physiology, biology, education, and the theater arts, as well as in the health service (student infirmary). Outside the university, biofeedback may be found in different departments of hospitals (such as physical medicine), private clinics, education and self-awareness groups, psychotherapy practices, and elsewhere. Its growth is still expanding, and excite ment is still rising as a result of biofeedback's demonstration that autonomic functions can be brought under voluntary control and that the long-standing arti ficial separation between mind, body, and consciousness can be disproven.




Case Studies in Pain Management


Book Description

Edited by internationally recognized pain experts, this unique book describes 73 real life clinical cases, each followed by discussion of pathogenesis, work-up, differential diagnosis and treatment options. Cases are divided into seven sub-topics: neurologic disorders, spinal disorders, musculoskeletal pain, visceral pain, headache and facial pain, cancer pain, and special topics such as pain in children and older adults. Discussions follow a question-and-answer format, facilitating learning and also enabling self-testing. Chapters are written by the foremost national and international leaders in the field of pain management, many of whom are pain program directors. Case Studies in Pain Management is an excellent learning source for trainees in pain management and a must-read for pain practitioners.