| Titel: | Respiration as a mediator of body temperature |
|---|---|
| Autor: | Fieldstone, A |
| Mediengruppe: | dissertation |
| Herausgeber: | --- |
| Zeitschrift: | Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering |
| Jahr: | 2001 |
| Band: | 61 |
| Heft: | 8 B |
| Seiten: | 4465 |
| Sprache: | englisch |
| Abstract: | The purpose of the present study was to: (1) Gather normative data on body temperature (BT) and heart rate (HR) in a controlled test of a yoga respiration technique, left nostril breathing (LNB); (2) Investigate the effects of LNB on BT and HR; (3) Test for carryover effects of LNB over a 24-hour period; and (4) Examine patterns of BT and HR changes and relationships. Subjects were 44 healthy college students in a counterbalanced, control vs. experimental condition, within-subjects research design. It was hypothesized that experimental condition subjects would realize time-dependent decreases in BT and HR compared to baseline recordings, while controls would experience no significant changes in BT and HR. It was further hypothesized that there would be significant correlations between BT and HR, and no carryover effects of LN13 after 24 hours. The first analysis revealed a period or carryover effect in the order of conditions. Therefore, the within-subjects design was abandoned and between-subjects analyses were performed from then on. Results revealed that experimental subjects relative to controls experienced a significant decrease in BT compared to baseline. HR of both experimental and control subjects decreased over the course of the tests; however, experimental subjects relative to controls experienced no significant differences in HR. Furthermore, no significant correlations between BT and HR were revealed. Although most psychophysiological studies control for internal environmental confounding factors that effect autonomic processes (e.g., age, body weight, and drug usage), few control for body temperature as a potential contributing factor of change in the dependent variables of interest. In this regard, serious limitations that exist when inferring psychological significance based on physiological measures, without consideration of respiratory effects on body temperature, are addressed. Also, limitations of the study and directions for future research are presented. |