The augmenting role of biofeedback: Effects of autogenic, imagery and music training on physiological indices and athletic performance

In this study, three psychoregulative procedures of relaxation and excitation were provided in combination with biofeedback to examine their role on physiological and athletic performance variables. Thirty-nine college students were randomly assigned to three groups of psychoregulatory treatment (autogenic and imagery training, AT + IT; music and imagery training, M + IT; autogenic, music and imagery training, AT + M + IT), one placebo group and the control group. Imagery was related to a 100-m run. The treatment and control conditions lasted 13 sessions of 20 min each. During the first seven sessions, the subjects in the treatment groups underwent 10 min of relaxation followed by 10 min of excitation. During the last six sessions, similar treatment was provided accompanied by frontalis EMG biofeedback. Heart rate, the galvanic skin response, EMG and breathing frequency (f_b) were recorded three times during each session. In addition, an athletic task (100-m run) was examined at the outset, after seven sessions (no biofeedback) and after an additional six sessions (with biofeedback). Biofeedback was found to have a significant augmenting effect on physiological components and athletic performance when accompanied by autogenic, imagery and music training. Soft music was found to be as beneficial as other relaxation techniques. The results are compared with similar studies applying mental techniques with biofeedback, and new directions of investigation in the psychophysiological domain are suggested.