What is a Biofeedback Instrument?

A biofeedback instrument is a device that uses sensors to measure a signal from the body related to your nervous system that then shows you the information as it is being measured.  It is different than getting your blood pressure checked or taking your pulse and getting one reading for one moment in time.  The measurement and feedback of information are continuous.

This information can be used for monitoring and might not even be shown to the person that it is being measured from.  This is sometimes done in research.  Let’s say a researcher wants to find out how a person’s body reacts to watching a scary movie or counting backward by 7’s. They could attach sensors to a subject and monitor signals like heart rate or sweat activity to acquire a measurement related to the physiological reaction of the stimulus.  When used in this way it would be more accurate to refer to the process as physiological monitoring instead of biofeedback.

Read more