The facilitative effects of heart-rate feedback in the emotional processing of claustrophobic fear

This study examines predictions derived from Foa and Kozak's theory of emot ional processing. We hypothesized that the provision of heart-rate feedback would facilitate emotional processing through a fuller activation of the p articipant's fear structure, and by focusing participants' attention on inf ormation that is incompatible with the fear structure, i.e., the interocept ive pattern of habituation. Nonclinical students (N = 54) showing marked cl austrophobic fear received 30 min of self-directed exposure to a claustroph obic chamber. Three exposure conditions (heart-rate feedback, paced-tone co ntrol, and exposure only control) were examined across six 5-min exposure t rials. Participants receiving heart-rate feedback displayed greater between -trial habituation across treatment trials and lower levels of fear at post -treatment. Treatment process findings failed to support the fear activatio n hypothesis, Implications of the findings for theories of fear reduction a re discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.