Editing Psychophysiology (section)

== Background ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2016}}
Some people have difficulty distinguishing a psychophysiologist from a [[Physiological psychology|physiological psychologist]], which has two very different perspectives. [[Psychologist]]s are interested in why we may fear [[spider]]s and physiologists may be interested in the [[input/output]] system of the [[amygdala]]. A psychophysiologist will attempt to link the two.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cacioppo |first1=John T. |last2=Tassinary |first2=Louis G. |date=1990 |title=Inferring psychological significance from physiological signals. |url=http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/0003-066X.45.1.16 |journal=American Psychologist |language=en |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=16–28 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.45.1.16 |pmid=2297166 |issn=1935-990X}}</ref> Psychophysiologists generally study the psychological/physiological link in intact human subjects. While early psychophysiologists almost always examined the impact of psychological states on physiological system responses, since the 1970s, psychophysiologists have also frequently studied the impact of physiological states and systems on psychological states and processes. It is this perspective of studying the interface of mind and body that makes psychophysiologists most distinct.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Schell |first1=A. |title=Psychophysiology |date=2001-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0080430767034240 |encyclopedia=International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences |pages=12448–12452 |editor-last=Smelser |editor-first=Neil J. |access-date=2023-12-14 |place=Oxford |publisher=Pergamon |doi=10.1016/b0-08-043076-7/03424-0 |isbn=978-0-08-043076-8 |last2=Dawson |first2=M. E. |editor2-last=Baltes |editor2-first=Paul B.}}</ref>

Historically, most psychophysiologists tended to examine the physiological responses and [[Biological system|organ systems]] innervated by the [[autonomic nervous system]]. More recently, psychophysiologists have been equally, or potentially more, interested in the [[central nervous system]], exploring [[Human brain#Cerebrum|cortical brain]] potentials such as the many types of [[event-related potentials]] (ERPs), [[Neural oscillation|brain waves]], and utilizing advanced technology such as [[functional magnetic resonance imaging]] (fMRI), [[Magnetic resonance imaging|MRI]], [[Positron emission tomography|PET]], MEG, and other neuroimagery techniques.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Critchley |first=Hugo D. |date=2009-08-01 |title=Psychophysiology of neural, cognitive and affective integration: fMRI and autonomic indicants |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167876009001020 |journal=International Journal of Psychophysiology |series=Neural Processes in Clinical Psychophysiology |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=88–94 |doi=10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2009.01.012 |issn=0167-8760|pmc=2722714 }}</ref>

A psychophysiologist may look at how exposure to a stressful situation will produce a result in the [[Circulatory system|cardiovascular system]] such as a change in [[heart rate]] (HR), [[vasodilation]]/[[vasoconstriction]], [[myocardial contractility]], or [[stroke volume]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} Overlaps in areas of interest between psychophysiologists and physiological psychologist may consist of observing how one cardiovascular event may influence another cardiovascular or [[Endocrine system|endocrine]] event; or how activation of one neural brain structure exerts excitatory activity in another neural structure which then induces an inhibitory effect in some other system.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} Often, physiological psychologists examine the effects that they study in [[Infrahumanisation|infrahuman]] subjects using surgical or invasive techniques and processes.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Psychophysiology is closely related to the field of [[neuroscience]], which primarily concerns itself with relationships between [[psychological]] events and [[Human brain|brain]] processes. Psychophysiology is also related to the medical disciplines, such as [[endocrinology]], [[psychosomatic]], and [[psychopharmacology]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

While psychophysiology was a discipline off the mainstream of psychological and medical science prior to roughly the 1940s, more recently, psychophysiology has found itself positioned at the intersection of psychological and medical science, and its popularity and importance have expanded commensurately with the realization of the inter-relatedness of mind and body.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}