| Abstract: | 26 undergraduates were tested with a tachistoscopic recognition task while heart rate (HR) and several other autonomic indexes were monitored. In Exp I, HR was employed as an independent variable, and stimulus presentation was contingent upon the presence of individually determined low, middle, and high HRs. Results indicate that low HR facilitated performance especially for stimuli presented at the fastest exposure. In Exp II, stimulus presentation was dependent upon cardiac phase. Findings indicate that stimulus recognition was enhanced during the cardiac P wave, but the effect was apparent only during the fastest exposure. Multiple regression analyses of the individual S's data during both experiments indicated that highly idiosyncratic patterns of physiological responses predicted perceptual performance. Results are consistent with the formulations of B. C. Lacey and J. I. Lacey (1958, 1967, 1974, etc.) and suggest that cerebral perfusion be considered as a relevant determinant of behavior. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
