A relationship between stimulability and the efficacy of visual biofeedback in the training of a respiratory control task

Although there are numerous reports of the use of biofeedback in clinical applications, little is known about the relative advantages or disadvantages of biofeedback over traditional treatments or about how to determine whether biofeedback might be effective for a given client. This study compares the results of two modalities of training on a respiratory rate control task. One group of normal young adult subjects (n = 18) received postresponse verbal guidance (knowledge of results), whereas another similar group (n = 18) received visual biofeedback training (a real-time form of knowledge of performance). The results suggest that biofeedback would be most effective for subjects with relatively poor response to initial training (stimulability), that verbal guidance and biofeedback are likely to be equally effective for those with midrange stimulability, and that those with relatively high stimulability may not benefit from biofeedback.