title: [Modification of autoregulation of intrinsic physical processes in field-dependent subjects: a study of performance in heart rate biofeedback].
abstract: Witkin, the founder of the concept of "field dependence", assumed that there is a relationship between field dependence and body perception. However, this hypothesis was never investigated experimentally in a well-controlled study. Twenty healthy subjects learned to increase and decrease their heart rate dependent upon two discriminative stimuli. In order to increase and decrease their heart rate they received exteroceptive feedback (movements of a rocket-ship on a video screen). Each trial lasted 6 s. The distance of the rocket-ship from a certain point indicated the amount of the achieved increase or decrease. Field dependent subjects scoring higher in field dependency as measured by the Embedded Figures Test were poorer at heart rate control on feedback and transfer trials (test trials with feedback removed) than were subjects scoring low in field dependency. This result may be of therapeutic interest in the application of behavioral medicine to psychosomatic and psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Universität Tübingen.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mattes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kesting
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sautter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heimann
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Birbaumer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011603:Psychophysiology
vernacular_title: Beeinträchtigte Selbstregulation körpereigener Prozesse bei Feldabhängigen: Eine Untersuchung zur Leistung im Herzraten-Biofeedback.