Knowledge of anatomy and physiology as a determinant of biofeedback performance

In an extension of a previous experiment by Zappala (1970), prior training in anatomy and physiology was investigated as a determinant of frontal EMG biofeedback performance. Fourteen subjects with no college coursework in anatomy and physiology and little demonstrated knowledge of anatomy and physiology were compared with fifteen college students with coursework and demonstrated knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Each subject completed 11 sessions. Sessions one through three were baseline sessions, while sessions 4-11 included an initial (5-minute) baseline, followed by three (4-minute) biofeedback periods. The results indicated no differences in EMG performance among the two subject groups. Significant reductions in EMG were obtained over feedback sessions, and the four male subjects obtained lower levels of EMG than the 25 female subjects.