[Awareness and electromyograph biofeedback in the acquisition of control of a novel muscular activity]

Two experiments were conducted to examine what kind of awareness to the internal control process should be encouraged in order to effectively acquire the control of a novel muscular activity with electromyograph (EMG) biofeedback. The m. auricularis posterior (the muscle to draw an ear backward) was selected as the target muscle of this study. Experiment I investigated the relation between control ability and awareness of the target muscle activity. Results showed that subjects who were able to move their ears could be aware of the target muscle activity more precisely than those who were unable to do it. In experiment II, 32 undergraduate and graduate students who could not move their ears were required to activate their left m. auricularis posterior. Results provided evidences supporting the hypothesis that, in the initial stage of the acquisition of control, subjects who were encouraged to be aware of ways and feelings of striving (efferent process) and were given EMG feedback signals from the target muscle could acquire the control of the target muscle activity more effectively than those who were encouraged to be aware of a bodily feeling brought about by the striving (afferent process) and who were given no EMG feedback signals.