Waveform moment analysis: An ASYST program for topographical analyses of nonnegative bounded waveforms

The moments of a nonnegative bounded waveform (e.g., bounded probability density functions or responses that can be expressed as bounded probability density functions) provide the basis for characterizing the waveform. Traditionally, only the lower-order moments (k ≤ 4) have been utilized in deriving topographical indices of these waveforms. Recent advances in waveform moment analysis, however, have made it possible to derive comprehensive and interpretable indices of complex nonnegative bounded waveforms by utilizing both lower-order and higher-order moments. Waveform moment analysis is reviewed briefly, and a flexible and efficient computer program is presented for conducting waveform moment analyses.     

An open-source LabVIEW application toolkit for phasic heart rate analysis in psychophysiological research

The cardiovascular system has been extensively measured in a variety of research and clinical domains. Despite technological and methodological advances in cardiovascular science, the analysis and evaluation of phasic changes in heart rate persists as a way to assess numerous psychological concomitants. Some researchers, however, have pointed to constraints on data analysis when evaluating cardiac activity indexed by heart rate or heart period. Thus, an off-line application toolkit for heart rate analysis is presented. The program, written with National Instruments’ LabVIEW, incorporates a variety of tools for off-line extraction and analysis of heart rate data. Current methods and issues concerning heart rate analysis are highlighted, and how the toolkit provides a flexible environment to ameliorate common problems that typically lead to trial rejection is discussed. Source code for this program may be downloaded from the Psychonomic Society Web archive atwww.psychonomic.org/archive/.     

An open-source LabVIEW application toolkit for phasic heart rate analysis in psychophysiological research.

The cardiovascular system has been extensively measured in a variety of research and clinical domains. Despite technological and methodological advances in cardiovascular science, the analysis and evaluation of phasic changes in heart rate persists as a way to assess numerous psychological concomitants. Some researchers, however, have pointed to constraints on data analysis when evaluating cardiac activity indexed by heart rate or heart period. Thus, an off-line application toolkit for heart rate analysis is presented. The program, written with National Instruments' LabVIEW, incorporates a variety of tools for off-line extraction and analysis of heart rate data. Current methods and issues concerning heart rate analysis are highlighted, and how the toolkit provides a flexible environment to ameliorate common problems that typically lead to trial rejection is discussed. Source code for this program may be downloaded from the Psychonomic Society Web archive at www.psychonomic.org/archive/.     

Microcomputers in social psychophysiological research: An overview

Microcomputer systems have become commonplace in the psychophysiological laboratory during the past 5 years and are currently used in all phases of data acquisition, experimental control, and data analysis. In the past year, however, advances in microprocessor technology and scientific software have greatly extended the capabilities of these desk-top systems. Small laboratories now can afford an integrated laboratory microcomputer system and both the high-fidelity data acquisition hardware and the sophisticated analysis capabilities traditionally found in large minicomputers. We briefly describe the demands that social psychophysiological research can place on computer systems, the system presently employed in our laboratory, and a system being installed to overcome limitations on sampling rate, sampling periods, and waveform analysis.     

A review of psychophysiological research with hyperkinetic children

A number of studies have appeared which focus on the issue of whether hyperactive children are psychophysiologically different from normal children and what impact the stimulant drugs may have on psychophysiological characteristics of these children. The present paper reviews these studies under the type of measures that were employed. In general, the results suggest that hyperactive children are probably not under- or overaroused in their resting levels of autonomic functions, although some children may display resting cortical underarousal. However, the findings of studies on the impact of stimulation on autonomic or central functions intimate that some hyperactive children are probably underreactive to environmental stimulation, or are "underarousable." Indeed, where differences between hyperactive and normal children are found in such evoked-response studies, they are consistently in this direction of "underarousability." Results for the effects of stimulant drugs suggest that these drugs energize or increase the "arousal" of these children and enhance the impact of stimulation on the nervous system. The implications of these results for current theories of hyperactivity and for future research are discussed.     

The observing subject and psychophysiological research: An epistemological discourse

Realizing that scientific knowledge was not based on a simple disclosure of reality, but was rather invented and developed in accordance with our own conceptions and prejudices, it should no longer be possible to consider matters as if they existed independently of us out there.Taking as examples the notions of memory and information we try to elucidate the relevance this perspective has with respect to neuro- and psychophysiological research.     

Mental slowing in elderly persons: a cognitive psychophysiological analysis

In recent attempts to formulate an integrative model of mental slowing in elderly persons, regression analyses have been done in which reaction-time data from a large number of studies spanning a broad range of speeded decision-making tasks were combined. The results of these meta-analyses were then used to support the conclusion that there is a generalized, proportional decline in mental processing speed among elderly adults that affects all elements of mentation equally. We present a series of similar regression analyses in which both reaction time and the latency of the P300 component of the event-related brain potential are included. The results of these analyses indicate that there are elements of mental processing that may be slowed additively, not proportionately, in older persons. Furthermore, the results raise some questions about the logic underlying the interpretation of the meta-regression analysis.     

Interactive computer assistance for biofeedback and psychophysiological research: Pragmatics of development

Key assumptions and decisions influencing the design, programming, and operation of an interactive computer-control system for a biofeedback research laboratory are discussed. Most interactions with the computer are in the form of simple English queries and answers. Laboratory activities for which the computer provides assistance include instrument calibration, time-critical system testing, experiment set-up and instrument hook-up, experiment control, data management, and analysis. Use of structured programming technique is described. Authors and laboratory staff conclude that interactive assistance is a helpful research tool in many situations and that future laboratory-control systems will have more extensive English language interactive capability.     

Evaluating polygraphy from a psychophysiological perspective: A specific-effects analysis

It is suggested that purportedly scientific positions and technologies are actually spiritualistic or superstitious to the extent that specific effects are not identified and evaluated. This claim is then examined with respect to polygraphy, which appears to have particularly strong spiritualistic tendencies. This technology’s putative basis is the science of psychophysiology, which is the study of psychological processes by means of unobtrusive physiological measures that reflect functions over which there is relatively little voluntary control. The underlying rationale of polygraphy is that information about these functions provided to the examiner has a specific, beneficial effect of improving the detection of deception. Before considering the validity of the polygraph in these specific-effect terms, the paper notes some serious societal problems involved in the use of the polygraph, problems that suggest that polygraphy is appropriately characterized as a serious “social disease.” As to its scientific status, the technique suffers from at least three significant and possibly insurmountable problems: 1) the records are not read “blind”; 2) the method of scoring is subjective, compared to the standards of scientific psychophysiology; and 3) the so-called “control” question method does not involve control in the standard, accepted, scientific sense of that term. However, much of the rest of psychology is also criticised as teleological and spiritualistic, and it is suggested that the polygraph is merely a dramatic illustration of the spiritualist approach that permeates the thought of most researchers in, and practitioners of, the science of psychology.     

A psychophysiological analysis of response-channel activation and outcome states in Eriksen's noise-compatibility task

Summary Eleven subjects were tested with a modified version of Eriksen's noise-compatibility task. Four noise conditions were realized - neutral, compatible, fully incompatible, and partially incompatible context. Target and flanking stimuli had an intrinsic association to either the left- or the right-hand side. As a response subjects pulled, with either their left or their right hand, an ordinary bicycle handbrake from a preload position towards a stop. The EMG from the forearm muscles and the movement trajectory were recorded continuously. Trials were categorized according to the outcome states, i. e., whether a full movement or only a rudimentary EMG activation had occurred in the correct and in the incorrect response channels, respectively, and whether the correct-channel activation was leading or lagging.Incompatible noise delayed information transfer and increased the likelihood of errors, while compatible noise had an opposite effect, i. e., it facilitated transfer and reduced the likelihood of errors. The effect of noise on transfer times was the same for all outcome states. Moreover, in all cases, noise had an effect on transfer times only up to the point of EMG onset, while it left movement-execution times unaffected. These findings are seen as contradictory to a strong continuous flow conception according to which any response-related change in the input channel is continuously and immediately transferred to the response-execution device. At least the final stage of movement control seems to be autonomous and not subject to input control, except for the case that a movement already initiated has to be aborted completely.     

Higher-order Q analysis of a range of personality and psychophysiological variables

A battery of 40 personality and psychophysiological tests was administered to 20 subjects, each of whom participated in 30 hr of individual testing, and the measures subjected to higher-order Q analysis. Principal Components analysis with Oblimin rotation revealed two ‘types’ at third order, suggesting a simple two-dimensional typological structure. The first described the excitatorily strong, extraverted, sensation-seeking vs the mobile type, and the second the conditionable vs the inhibitory type.     

Pre- and poststimulus activation of response channels: a psychophysiological analysis

To examine mechanisms of response activation, we asked subjects to respond differentially to the central letter of one of four arrays--HHHHH, SSHSS, SSSSS, and HHSHH--and measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and electromyographic activity (EMG). For very fast responses, accuracy was at chance level for all arrays, suggesting that subjects were guessing. For intermediate latency responses, accuracy was above chance if the noise was compatible with the targets and below chance if it was incompatible, suggesting that these responses were based on partial stimulus analysis. For slow responses, accuracy was above chance for all arrays, suggesting that these responses were based on complete stimulus analysis. The occurrence and accuracy of fast responses could be predicted by examining motor potentials preceding the presentation of the array. Measures of the motor potentials in the period following the presentation of the array suggested that partial analysis of stimulus information could activate responses and that the level of response activation at the time of the EMG response was constant for trials with different response latencies. The data are discussed in terms of a response channel conception.     

The dimensionality of the flanker compatibility effect: A psychophysiological analysis

The psychophysiological approach was used to evaluate the effects of feature similarity and intrinsic response mapping on the flanker compatibility effect. Symbol (e.g., < > < and < / <) and letter arrays (e.g., HCH and SCS) were used. Results showed that delays in stimulus evaluation and both peripheral and central response competition contributed to the compatibility effect, with the contribution of these processes depending on feature similarity and the intrinsic response mapping of the stimuli. For letter stimuli, the difference in the size of the compatibility effect for similar and dissimilar arrays could be accounted for in terms of stimulus evaluation. For symbol arrays, differences in size of the compatibility effect could be accounted for by response competition. Thus, symbol and letter arrays do not appear to be processed differently; what is different is the degree to which stimulus and response-related processes are affected by incompatibility.