摘要: The term" psychophysiology" denotes that branch of research in which electrodes or other devices placed on the surface of the body are used to measure activity in the brain, in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), or in the skelotomotor system. For example, psychophysiologists record event-related potentials (ERPs) from electrodes placed on the scalp to assess changes in the electrical activity of the brain that occur in response to experimental stimuli. Such changes reflect neurophysiological processes implicated in perception, cognition, emotion, or motor responding. Examples of autonomic measures are the electrocardiogram (ECG), used to measure heart rate, and electrodermal activity (often referred to as skin conductance and formerly referred to as the galvanic skin response), a measure of the sweat responses in the hand or other regions. Such measures have been linked to a variety of processes (eg, attending to novel or important stimuli) and individual differences. An example of the measurement of skeletomotor activity is the recording of muscle potentials from electrodes placed on the face to assess the facial expression of emotion. An additional skelotomotor measure is the startle eyeblink reflex that is elicited by a brief loud noise. The size of the startle blink can vary according to the individual's focus of attention and emotional state.In the section below, I present some examples of how psychophysiological measures have contributed to research programs in several different areas of relevance to clinical psychologists. In subsequent sections, I discuss some of the methodological advantages of psychophysiological measures and …