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Biofeedback

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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Synonyms

Biofeedback; Brain-computer interface; Neurofeedback; Operant conditioning of physiological activity; Psychophysiological intervention

Definition and Introduction

Biofeedback is an interventional method that enables a person to develop or to increase voluntary control over his/her physiological activity for the purposes of improving health or performance. It is based on the measurement and feedback of physiological body signals (biosignals), using technological equipment. Biosignals are assessed in real-time and in a noninvasive manner via sensors that are attached to a patient’s body. Corresponding software processes and transforms the acquired data into a feedback, which is presented to the patient (visual, auditory, or tactile).

Basically, biofeedback is founded on the assumption that dysfunctional bodily sensations (e.g., pain) or psychological states (e.g., distress, concentration) co-occur with specific patterns of physiological activity. Biofeedback shall enable...

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References

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Correspondence to Alexandra Martin .

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Martin, A., Schmidt, J. (2017). Biofeedback. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1282-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1282-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

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