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J S Nunes

Publications and source records attributed to J S Nunes.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Feedback of true heart rate during exposure in vivo. Partial replication with methodological improvement.

Ten specific phobics improved during a mean of two sessions of experimental treatment by exposure in vivo in a balanced design. Short-term results replicated those of a previous study that self-control of heart rate with the aid of biofeedback significantly reduced heart rate during treatment, but this did not hasten reduction of subjective anxiety, nor of respiratory rate or skin conductance responses. An hour's pretreatment training in self-control of heart rate with the aid of feedback did not enhance the effect. Mere instructions to lower heart rate without feedback had a significant effect during treatment, but the addition of heart rate feedback to instructions significantly augmented the decline in heart rate.

Adolescent

Feedback of true heart rate during exposure in vivo.

Ten women with specific chronic animal phobias were treated by graded exposure in vivo in two to four two-hour treatment sessions. Sessions were divided into four balanced half-hour epochs, half with visual feedback of true heart rate plus instructions to lower heart rate during approach to phobic stimulus. All patients improved significantly from the start to end of sessions on heart rate and on subjective anxiety. Feedback of heart rate plus instructions to lower it substantially reduced heart rate during epochs of feedback, compared to non-feedback epochs without instructions, but this effect did not generalize to skin conductance or to subjective anxiety in our short-term experiment.

Adult