Premium
The Effects of Operant Reinforcement Schedules on the Modification of Human Heart Rate
Author(s) -
Hatch John P.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1980.tb02297.x
Subject(s) - psychology , biofeedback , reinforcement , visual feedback , heart rate , schedule , beat (acoustics) , audiology , operant conditioning , heart beat , developmental psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , social psychology , blood pressure , medicine , physics , psychiatry , computer science , acoustics , computer vision , operating system
ABSTRACT Thirty‐six male students were instructed to raise or lower their heart rates (HRs) and were provided with one of three different schedules of HR biofeedback. Within each direction of control condition, subjects were exposed to continuous beat‐by‐beat visual feedback, no feedback, or feedback presented according to a variable ratio (VR) schedule. During 4 training sessions VR subjects received feedback of a randomly selected 100%, 75%, 50%, or 25% of their heartbeats. All groups significantly altered their HRs in the instructed direction. For HR speeding, VR feedback produced significantly faster HRs than did continuous feedback while the VR schedule was in effect. No significant differences in HR slowing performance occurred among the three slowing groups. Resting initial HR levels did not significantly affect either speeding or slowing performance.