Role of the feedback signal in electromyograph biofeedback: The relevance of attention.

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Abstract
Two experiments with 84 female undergraduates examined the hypothesis that the critical role of the feedback signal in frontalis EMG biofeedback is an attentional one. In both experiments, high- and low-absorption Ss were assigned to a biofeedback condition, a no-feedback condition, or an attentional demand condition in which external stimuli, related to relaxation, were presented as an attentional focus. The experiments differed in the type of attentional demand condition that was employed and varied the compelling nature of the demand on Ss for an external attentional focus. The pattern of results was consistent with the attentional hypothesis. For low-absorption Ss, performance in the biofeedback and attentional demand conditions was equivalent and greater than in the no-feedback condition. For high-absorption Ss, an interference effect of biofeedback was observed, but data indicated a similar interference effect on the performance of Ss when the attentional demand condition was most compelling. Results point to the special relevance of attentional processes and highlight their lack of emphasis in contemporary theoretical models of EMG biofeedback. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

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