On Wed, 19 Dec 2001 09:36:33 -0500 (EST) Stephen Black <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2001, Michael LAVIN wrote: > > > > Doesn't the research of Miller and DiCara provide the basis > > for Biofeedback training? > > I see that Mike Scoles just provided a good response to this > question while I was beavering away at it myself. But given that > I hate to waste a completed post and that there's a bit of > further opinion here, I send this along... > > Yes and no. It certainly provided the impetus for the field. > But Miller and DiCara were concerned with one specific > theoretical issue: that any apparent operant conditioning of > autonomic responses was really due to associated operant > conditioning of skeletal muscle responses, which affected > autonomic responses (e.g. heart-rate) indirectly. So their > experiments were carried out under curare, which paralyzed the > skeletal muscles. It was this work that proved to be > unreplicable. > > I suppose that biofeedback practitioners don't really care > whether the route is direct or indirect, only that one can > thereby gain control over gut and brain responses. But it does > seem to me that the current revival of claims for the > effectiveness of biofeedback (for epilepsy and attention-deficit > disorder, for example) are based on hype rather than on evidence. > In particular, watch out for "neurofeedback" and its grandiose > and unsupported claims. > > From this discussion, I think what we need is an authoritative > review of the current state of this whole area, post Miller and > DiCara (which was a _long_ time ago). From my brief perusal of > current textbooks, its authors still aren't sure what to > conclude themselves. > I searched PsychInfo using combinations of the terms biofeedback, review, and efficacy and had the following impressions... 1. There were very few current reviews (within the last 5 years). 2. Reviewers complained about the poor quality of the science in most reports (e.g., lack of control groups or alternative treatment comparisons, poor control for demand characteristics, lack of followup on treatment outcomes). 3. These concerns applied even to studies involving the "core" applications, like pain management, muscle relaxation, and temperature control. Stephen, I couldn't find much on ADHD but I found there is a claim that myopia may be lessened through biofeedback training of the muscles controlling lens thickness! Unfortunately, the claim lacks *experimental* support. > -Stephen > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 > Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 > Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Lennoxville, QC > J1M 1Z7 > Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy > Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: > http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dept. of Psychology Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
