چکیده:
Psychophysiological studies and MRI neuro-imaging findings provide evidence that heart rate variability (HRV) which is in control of our emotions affects our brain cognitive centers. It has been shown that coherent heart-brain interaction can change the pattern of the afferent cardiac input that is sent to the brain. For this purpose, the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) has proposed a kind of biofeedback training, the TestEdge program, which self-regulates negative emotional learning impediments by increasing HRV measures. It leads to an optimal self-generated psychophysiological state that has an important role in cognitive development through autonomic nervous system dynamics. In the present study, through using IHM self-regulated techniques and tools, the TestEdge program was performed on 63 Iranian EFL learners. In particular, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of HRV measures on reading comprehension performance. The data was measured and recorded by emWave Desktop device. The results confirmed that the intentional heart-focus techniques led to a beneficial mode of psychophysiological coherence of heart-brain interaction. The results indicated significant differences among EFL students with different levels of high, mid, and low coherence and their reading performance.
خلاصه ماشینی:
The recent studies based on psychophysiological theory that explains emotional, behavioral, and cognitive processes, in addition to physical systems dealing with learning have documented that changes in heart rate or HRV measures are reflective of the interactions occurred between heart and brain (Bradley et al.
Confirmed by psychophysiological research on emotions and heart–brain coherence (Arguelles, McCraty, & Rees, 2003; McCraty, 2005; McCraty, Atkinson, Tomasino, & Bradley, 2009), these programs teach students emotional self- regulation techniques which are effective in improving emotional stability and academic performance.
Discussion This study was done as an attempt to explore the relationship between emotion and cognition and tried to determine the effects of heart rate variability on the reading comprehension performance of Iranian learners of English by anxiety reduction through the implementation of IHM self- regulation tools and techniques to increase the coherence between the heart and brain.
Moreover, in a study conducted by a group of IHM Institute researchers (McCraty, Tomasino, Atkinson, Aasen, & Thurik, 2000), the participant high school students who used HeartMath tools and self-regulated techniques which were designed to increase HRV, demonstrated 35% increase in their math scores and 14% average gain in the reading tests after only three weeks of the treatment.
In brief, considering the two research questions of this study, it can be concluded that programs teaching emotional self-regulation skills such as HeartMath techniques and tools increase HRV measures and coherence ratio which enhance emotional well-being and boost learning and academic performance from the elementary school to the college level.