Stress - 7. Managing and Coping with Stress: 2. Biofeedback

Question 1

What is biofeedback?

Answer 1

A technique that trains people to improve their health by controlling certain bodily processes

Question 2

4 functions of biofeedback

Answer 2

Focuses your mind
Reduces headaches
Treats constipation
Improve heart health

Question 3

How does biofeedback allow you to focus the mind?

Answer 3

Biofeedback sessions include the use of relaxation techniques

Question 4

How does biofeedback treat constipation?

Answer 4

Allows patients to better control muscles in the digestive system

Question 5

How does biofeedback improve heart health?

Answer 5

Patients learn to control their heart rate, which accordingly treats heart disease

Question 6

Origins of biofeedback

Answer 6

Neal Miller showed that autonomic processes were controllable, leading to creation of biofeedback
Operant conditioning of involuntary responses occurs through interaction of feedback from bodily arousal and relaxation techniques

Question 7

What does biofeedback involve?

Answer 7

Learning to exert voluntary control over involuntary behaviours by being made aware of what is happening in the ANS

Question 8

Process of biofeedback

Answer 8

1. Electrodes attached to the skin. Links to machine that monitors and gives feedback on heart rate and other stress responses
2. Electrodes send information to the monitor which puts the measurements on a computer screen
3. Person is taught relaxation techniques in order to activate parasympathetic NS.
4. Relaxation acts like reward (operant conditioning) which encourages person to repeat this involuntarily.

Question 9

Simplified steps of biofeedback

Answer 9

Feedback (person connected to machine which provides feedback of their responses)
Relaxation
Operant conditioning
Transfer of skills to everyday life

Question 10

Research support for biofeedback by Budznski et al

Answer 10

Conducted research into effectiveness of biofeedback in treating headaches
Assigned 18 participants to 3 groups:
- biofeedback
- relaxation techniques
- no intervention (control)
Group A reported significant decrease in headaches, supporting biofeebdack

Question 11

Positive evaluation of biofeedback

Answer 11

Effective for a range of health problems
Lack of side effects
Effective in children as they treat it as a game, making them less sceptical and giving it a higher change of working

Question 12

Negative evaluation of biofeedback

Answer 12

Requires specialist equipment
Can be more difficult and expensive to use at home than other methods
Time consuming as multiple sessions are needed