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The Effect of Mental Training with Biofeedback on Entering Optimal Individual Affect-Related Performance Zones

An investigation is reported by which a multimodal assessment of affect was incorporated by measuring introspective (verbal reports) and objective (heart rate and skin conductance) measures in a laboratory setting for the purpose of applying a biofeedback intervention using Blumenstein & Bar-Eli's (2001) Wingate Five-step approach. The foundation of this experiment was based on an empirically supported concept (i.e., probabilistic determinations of Individual Affect-related Performance Zones; Kamata et al., 2002) in order to verify the utility and effectiveness of the intervention by manipulating affective performance states in a racecar simulator. Nine male participants complete five separate time trials of a simulated racing task and then were randomly assigned to one of three arousal regulation treatment conditions (three participants per group): (1) optimal arousal-regulation, (2) poor arousal-regulation, and (3) attention control. Following the BFB intervention, the participants underwent another series of race trials to determine the effectiveness of the arousal regulation intervention. The results indicate general and relative similarities in the strength and direction of the perceived and physiological states between the participants; however, the subtle details of the participants' unique performance zones, and the probability of achieving each zone was revealed to be unique between the participants and between the groups. The results indicate that (a) the BFB manipulation resulted in the expected changes for all the groups, and (b) there were some large individual differences between the participants, necessitating the idiosyncratic approach. The results are further discussed in the context of the stimulus-response specificity principle (Andreassi, 1989), Sternbach's (1966) individual response-stereotypy, as well as the Inverted-U hypothesis (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). Future research directions and practical implications are also offered. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning
Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2005. / Date of Defense: October 20, 2005. / Heart Rate, Skin Conductance, Emotions, Affect, Optimal, Performance, Simulator / Includes bibliographical references. / Gershon Tenenbaum, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert Glueckauf, Outside Committee Member; Akihito Kamata, Committee Member; Francis D. Kelly Jr., Committee Member.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_168740
ContributorsEdmonds, William Alexander (authoraut), Tenenbaum, Gershon (professor directing dissertation), Glueckauf, Robert (outside committee member), Kamata, Akihito (committee member), Jr., Francis D. Kelly (committee member), Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution)
PublisherFlorida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, text
Format1 online resource, computer, application/pdf

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