Anxiety and Feedback as Factors in Operant Heart Rate Control

Thirty‐three Ss were chosen on the basis of their Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale scores. Eleven Ss were assigned to each of three groups, low anxiety (LA), medium anxiety (MA), and high anxiety (HA). The study was then carried out to determine the relationships between manifest anxiety, amount of feedback, and heart rate (HR) control. Each S attempted to synchronize his HR with a series of clicks so that each heartbeat (R wave) would occur within .2 sec after a click. Each S was tested alternately with non‐augmented biofeedback (NAF), and with visually augmented feedback (AF) during several test periods. Overall, Ss were found to be able to produce a significantly higher than chance percentage of heartbeats in the .2 sec interval in spite of the fact that HA Ss had a negative mean HR control score. MA Ss' mean score was significantly higher than that of the HA Ss. Different physiological characteristics were found to be significantly correlated with successful HR control depending upon which anxiety group S was in. No significant difference was found between NAF and AF conditions.