Success on a biofeedback task: effects of congruence-incongruence between locus of control and psychological differentiation. 1980

A Bourgeois, and H Levenson, and C Wagner

Assessed the utility of the cognitive constructs of Locus of Control and Psychological Differentiation as co-determiners of success on a biofeedback task. Eighty male and female psychology undergraduate students were divided into four groups based on median splits of scores on Levenson's Internal Locus of Control scale and on Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test. Thus, four groups of subjects were identified: field-independent internals (Fl-I; n = 17), field-dependent externals (FD-E; n = 23), field-dependent internals (FD-I; n = 19), and field-independent externals (Fl-E; n = 21). The first two groups consisted of individuals whose locus of control orientation was congruent with their perceptual style and the last two contained the incongruent subjects. Fifteen subjects were randomly selected from each of the four groups resulting in a total sample of 60 subjects. All subjects were told to decrease their GSR using biofeedback during each of five, 2-minute trials. A 1-minute rest period was provided between each trial. Analysis of variance revealed that congruent subjects decreased their GSR significantly (p less than .01) more than incongruent subjects. Scheffe's test revealed that all subjects were able to learn to significantly decrease GSR. Additional research designed to examine the utility of the congruence-incongruence dimensions in biofeedback seems warranted.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007206 Individuality Those psychological characteristics which differentiate individuals from one another. Individual Differences,Difference, Individual,Differences, Individual,Individual Difference
D007389 Internal-External Control Personality construct referring to an individual's perception of the locus of events as determined internally by his or her own behavior versus fate, luck, or external forces. (ERIC Thesaurus, 1996). Locus of Control,External-Internal Control,Sense of Control,Control Locus,Control, External-Internal,Controls, External-Internal,Controls, Internal-External,Internal-External Controls
D008297 Male Males
D005260 Female Females
D005364 Field Dependence-Independence The ability to respond to segments of the perceptual experience rather than to the whole. Dependence-Independence, Field,Dependence-Independences, Field,Field Dependence Independence,Field Dependence-Independences
D005712 Galvanic Skin Response A change in electrical resistance of the skin, occurring in emotion and in certain other conditions. Electric Conductance, Skin,Electrodermal Response,Reflex, Psychogalvanic,Skin Electric Conductance,Conductance, Skin Electric,Conductances, Skin Electric,Electric Conductances, Skin,Electrodermal Responses,Galvanic Skin Responses,Psychogalvanic Reflex,Response, Electrodermal,Response, Galvanic Skin,Responses, Electrodermal,Responses, Galvanic Skin,Skin Response, Galvanic,Skin Responses, Galvanic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001676 Biofeedback, Psychology The therapy technique of providing the status of one's own AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM function (e.g., skin temperature, heartbeats, brain waves) as visual or auditory feedback in order to self-control related conditions (e.g., hypertension, migraine headaches). Biofeedback (Psychology),Bogus Physiological Feedback,False Physiological Feedback,Feedback, Psychophysiologic,Biofeedback,Feedback, Psychophysiological,Myofeedback,Psychophysiologic Feedback,Biofeedbacks,Biofeedbacks (Psychology),Biofeedbacks, Psychology,Bogus Physiological Feedbacks,False Physiological Feedbacks,Feedback, Bogus Physiological,Feedback, False Physiological,Feedbacks, Bogus Physiological,Feedbacks, False Physiological,Myofeedbacks,Physiological Feedback, Bogus,Physiological Feedback, False,Physiological Feedbacks, Bogus,Physiological Feedbacks, False,Psychology Biofeedback,Psychology Biofeedbacks

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