Physiological Correlates of Mental Activity: Eye Movements, Alpha, and Heart Rate During Imagining, Suppression, Concentration, Search, and Choice.

Rapid eye movements (REMs), EEG alpha, and tonic heart rate (HR) were measured during 6 types of cognitive tasks imagining a liked person, suppressing thoughts of the person, searching one's mind for alternative solutions, arithmetic involving little concentration, problems involving high concentration, and choosing a preferred activity. The latter 3 required verbalization, the former 3 did not. Only suppression and search did not differ significantly from each other on at least one physiological variable. Imagining, suppression, and search yielded few REMs, high alpha, and low HR. High concentration yielded many REMs, low alpha, and high HR. Choice yielded many REMs, low alpha, and intermediate HR. Low concentration yielded few REMs, low alpha, and high HR. Suppression produced somewhat less alpha than imagining but did not differ significantly in REMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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