Generalized nucleon polarizabilities for virtual photons can be defined in
terms of electroproduction cross sections as function of the 4-momentum tra
nsfer Q(2). In particular, the sum of the generalized electric and magnetic
polarizabilities Sigma = alpha + beta and the spin polarizability gamma ca
n be expressed by virtual photon absorption cross sections integrated over
the excitation energy. These quantities have been calculated within the fra
mework of the recently developed unitary isobar model for pion photo- and e
lectroproduction on the proton, which describes the available experimental
data up to an excitation energy of about 1 GeV. Our results have been compa
red to the predictions of chiral perturbation theory. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sci
ence B.V. All rights reserved.