EFFECTS OF ABDOMINAL AND THORACIC BREATHING UPON MULTIPLE-SITE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND PERIPHERAL SKIN TEMPERATURE

Peripheral finger temperature, frontalis and upper trapezius EMG, and self-report of arousal were assessed for four subjects during abdominal and thoracic breathing in a single-subject reversal design. Tno subjects displayed significant differences between abdominal and thoracic breathing conditions: one for frontalis EMG, trapezius EMG, and self-report of arousal and one for trapezius EMG.:Two subjects showed no significant effects. All subjects reached performance criteria during training sessions. Abdominal breathing performance during reversals was 100% and 92% of sampled breath cycles for the two subjects who showed significant change, and 65% and 42% for the two subjects who showed none. Methodological issues for measurement of breathing patterns and peripheral skin temperature are discussed.