Biofeedback and the Modification of Behavior

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.

Table of Contents:
1. Some Antecedents of Biofeedback.- Bell and Visible Speech for the Deaf.- Tarchanoff and the Voluntary Control of Heart Rate.- Bair and Woodworth and the Voluntary Control of Muscle Function.- Schultz and Autogenic Training.- Miller and Operant Control in Curarized Rats.- Razran and Interoceptive Conditioning in the Soviet Union.- Smith and the Disruption of Behavior.- References.- 2. Instrumentation and Methodology.- The Dependent Variable in Biofeedback.- The Independent Variable in Biofeedback.- Confounding Variables and the Design of Experiments in Biofeedback.- References.- 3. Voluntary Control of Muscle Activity.- Voluntary Control of Normal Muscle Activity.- Disorders of Muscle Function.- References.- 4. Voluntary Control of Autonomic Functions.- Voluntary Control of Autonomic Function.- Disorders of Autonomic Function.- References.- 5. Voluntary Control of the Electrical Activity of the Brain.- Voluntary Control of Alpha: Early Studies.- The First Critiques.- Alpha Research Comes of Age.- The Second Wave of Criticism.- The Treatment of Epilepsy.- References.- 6. Other Applications of Biofeedback.- Applications.- References.- 7. Theoretical Aspects of Biofeedback.- The Specificity/Generality Issue and Somatic Integration.- The Role of Reinforcement in Biofeedback.- The Role of Somatic Mediation in Biofeedback.- The Role of Cognitive Mediation in Biofeedback.- The Motor Skills Theory of Biofeedback.- The Servomechanical Model of Biofeedback Control.- The Language of Biofeedback.- References.- 8. Biofeedback: Still “A Promise as Yet Unfulfilled”?.- The Promise of Biofeedback: The Optimists and the Pessimists.- Comparative Studies with Normal Subjects.- Comparative Studies with Abnormal Subjects.- Long-Term Effectiveness of Biofeedback.- Other Problems withBiofeedback.- The Other Side of the Coin: Positive Aspects of Biofeedback.- Biofeedback: Blunderbuss or Precision Tool?.- References.