Voluntary Control of Heart Rate: An Extended Replication Study

Abstract

The present study is partly concerned with the replication of a study of learned heart rate control from the Madison Laboratory (Gatchel, 1974). In addition, the ability of subjects to learn heart rate control while carrying out a tracking task was evaluated. Thirty-six subjects were randomly divided into three groups. Twelwe subjects in experimental Group 1 were engaged in an attempt to increase and to decrease their heart rate with the help of continuous visual feedback. Twelve subjects in the control group were engaged in a tracking task to a visual display similar to the feedback display. Procedures used with those two groups were an exact replica of those usually used by Lang's group. The twelve subjects in experimental Group 2 were engaged in the same biofeedback task, and an additional task in the form of tracking their own performance was introduced. The replication part of the study was fully successful, although the degree of change was about 60% of that reported by Lang's group. It also was demonstrated that the addition of a tracking task during the biofeedback task did not influence the ability of the subjects to directionally change heart rate to instruction and feedback.