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A survey of the literature on human salivation is presented with emphasis upon the influence of normal and psychopathologic emotional states as they affect alterations in factors relating to flow rate. Discussion includes neurolollical and physiological features of the gland, individuality of response, results of classical and operant conditioning, and suggested areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a proposed standard nomenclature for psychophysiologic measures, proposed as a tentative set of standard terms for psychophysiology for the guidance of individuals writing articles for Psychophysiology. Soon after the establishment of this journal it became evident that authors used a confusing variety of terms to refer to the phenomena they were measuring. The editors were faced with the difficult problem of interpreting and often translating the terms of one writer into a commonly acceptable form, which would be not necessarily definitive but intelligible to others with less expertise in a particular field.

Punched paper tape readers, frequently used for machine control and computer input, are readily adaptable for the purposes of presenting extremely complex signal sequences such as those used in psychophysiology. A description of basic operating principles is given together with an explanation of the minor modifications necessary to adapt this instrument to signal control. Complete schematics are presented of an instrument with seven channel control capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was concerned with the relationship between stimulus intensity (concentration of citric acid) and parotid salivary response in man as reflected in four measures. Although this relationship varied with the measure employed, it was in no case linear. It was concluded that optimum concentration of citric acid for stimulating parotid salivary secretion in man was 1.0% and that the measure which differentiated best between the weakest acid stimulus and water as a control and between the two lowest concentrations of acid was the average quantity of evoked saliva per trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychophysiology is made up of a concatenation of specialties peopled by immigrants from psychology, psychiatry, physiology, and engineering, those gentle dissidents who found themselves at a difference with the established practices in their area and who sought less constraining fields of work. As a consequence, our composite talents are impressively diverse, ranging from a familiarity with the murky depths of the unconscious to an intimacy with electronic computers. Skills we have brought with us are various, and the range of problems we can attack and the means by which we may approach them are numerous. Advances in electronics have provided us with elaborate, sophisticated instrumentation. While it is possible to measure the most subtle physiological responses there is need for improvement in many simple, important ways.

Editorial. Comments on the value of research in psychophysiology in the U.S. Growth in the emphasis upon the form of a communication to be used; Characteristics of the true communication of ideas; Promotion of important speculations.

The circuit described represents a relatively simple and economical solution to the problem of presenting to the human S his heart rate data in the form of an auditory signal. The requirements of portability, low cost, and long-term unattended operation have been met. In addition, portions of the circuit have additional uses in the general area of psychophysiological instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]