Physiological Measurement in Communication

The importance of effect.ve communication compels investigators to seek new ways of measuring physiological respqnses and to practice the science of psychophysiology. The main objective of psychophysiological research is to describe the systems in organisms which transfer information between the subsy7Items of soma and psyche. Results should lead to a full understanding of covert responses and to a greater comprehension of gross behaviors. Physiological measurement tests skin conductance, heart rate, muscle tension, blood volume, and the electrical activity of the brain. Studies done by Westie and DeFleur tested emotional responses of student attitudes toward Negroes, while others ' experiments recorded skin responses to stimulus words, to certain films, and to information-loaded sentences and studied anxiety during public speaking, physiological interaction in small groups, and autonomic measures of stress,under pressures of group conformity. A predominalit conclusion is that successful psychophysiological studies in communication could be useful in interdisciplinary research. (DS)