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Keywords: biofeedback, neurofeedback, sport performance, self-regulation
There is great promise in the technology of biofeedback for the field of sport psychology. However, very little empirical research has been conducted that speaks to the efficacy of psychophysiological intervention in sport. The general aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of different training protocols designed to teach cognitive and emotional self-regulation and improve athlete performance on sport-specific tasks. Results of these experiments demonstrated athlete mastery of selfregulation skills and improvement in sport performance.
Introduction
For the past several decades ongoing research has hinted at the great promise the technology of biofeedback has for the field of sport psychology. Not only does biofeedback optimize the ability to teach athletes cognitive and emotional self-regulation, it also provides sport psychologists with the ability to quantify interventions (Zaichkowsky, 2009). A major criticism of sport psychology intervention is that practitioners are limited in their ability to provide evidence in support of their practice. Biofeedback and neurofeedback technology have the capacity to challenge this criticism. Biofeedback and neurofeedback have been slow to gain acceptance in sport because of cost; a lag in the development of compact, portable, versatile technology; a lack of understanding; and a lack of research evidence outside of the medical community.
Bruno DeMichelis, formerly at the AC Milan soccer team, changed how biofeedback and neurofeedback are perceived by sport scientists after the success of AC Milan in the European Cup and World Cup of Soccer in 2005 and 2006. Recently DeMichelis modeled the AC Milan ''Mind- Room'' at Chelsea Football Club in the U.K. Other professional and Olympic sport organizations throughout the world (as well as the U.S. military) are in the process of adopting biofeedback and neurofeedback as the basis of their mental training programs. While assessment findings suggest there are psychophysiological differences between high and low performers, to date, very little research has been conducted that speaks to the efficacy of psychophysiological training interventions. Outside of research labs, the reports that exist are primarily anecdotal, in part because the professional sport organizations want to retain the data as ''proprietary.''
Our current work consists of studies with different groups of athletes to examine the effect of biofeedback training on sport-specific skills. We chose to examine...