Psychophysiological Assessment of Prejudice: Past Research, Current Status, and Future Directions

Many early studies of prejudice adopted psychophysiological measures as a way to circumvent the limitations of self-report instruments. Despite serious methodological weaknesses, that literature consistently points to the value of physiological probes as nonreactive indexes of affective responses to target stimuli. Possible reasons for the virtual abandonment of psychophysiological approaches in the study of prejudice over the last 15 years are outlined, and their reintroduction is advocated on methodological and conceptual grounds. Theoretical perspectives and empirical research in a closely related area, the psychophysiology of emotion, are reviewed and the implications of this literature for the study of prejudice are discussed. Several psychophysiological approaches have been found valuable for assessing the valence and intensity of emotional responses. The availability of these tools, together with the shifting theoretical zeitgeist, make prejudice research ready for a return to psychophysiological methodologies. A multimethod prejudice assessment model is proposed and its theoretical and heuristic advantages are discussed.

Volitional vasomotor lability and vasomotor control

This experiment tested the hypothesis that skin temperature variability during instructions to attempt skin temperature self-control without feedback (volitional vasomotor lability) predicts the acquisition of vasomotor control through biofeedback training. Skin temperature was recorded from the hands of 232 volunteers during a screening session. Twenty-three labile and 17 stabile subjects were chosen to participate in a 16-session training program under double blind conditions. Visual and auditory feedback were used to train subjects to produce temperature differences between the two hands in a specified direction. Comparisons between the labile and stabile groups revealed statistically significant differences in the predicted direction on measures of performance and learning. These findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesized positive relationship between volitional temperature variability and voluntary vasomotor control. Fruitful directions for future research are suggested.

Behavioral treatment of phobic avoidance in multiple chemical sensitivity

The clinical ecology model of environmental illness, or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and particularly the theoretical assumptions, diagnostic procedures, and therapeutic recommendations promulgated by clinical ecologists are reviewed. No scientific evidence is found for their claims. MCS is conceptualized, instead, as a phobic disorder explicable in terms of the two-factor model of avoidance. Three cases of MCS are discussed in light of this model, and a comprehensive behavioral treatment package that includes biofeedback-assisted in vivo desensitization and cognitive restructuring is proposed.

Skin temperature biofeedback for Raynaud's disease: a double-blind study

The lack of control procedures inherent in most of the experiments conducted to assess the effectiveness of skin temperature biofeedback in the treatment of Raynaud's disease renders the results inconclusive. In this study, control groups and a double-blind approach are adopted. Thirty-six patients, carefully screened for a diagnosis of primary Raynaud's disease, were assigned to a skin temperature increase group (N = 12), to an EMG relaxation control group (N = 12), or to a notreatment control group (N = 12). All patients kept records of their symptoms for the duration of the study. Each subject in the two training groups received 20 sessions, the last 2 conducted under cold stress. data analysis according to original group assignment, as well as following regrouping of subjects according to several learning criteria, showed that while all patients reported a marked decrease in the number of vasospastic attacks, no significant differences were found among the three groups on the clinical measures used to assess symptomatic relief. The general improvement reported must therefore be attributed to nonspecific factors.