The field of psychophysiology deals with the relation between psychological processes and the associated multi-faceted physiological responses. Recent technological advances – mainly those that allow non-invasive assessment of activity in the central nervous system – have drastically broadened the scope of this relatively young scientific discipline. In light of this expansion, any appropriate handbook must: (1) offer a comprehensive review of a truly daunting number of research areas and methods, (2) integrate such diversity into a coherent body of work, and (3) supply accessible material that includes theoretical background information as well as more practical insights in techniques and research approaches. The 3rd edition of the Handbook of Psychophysiology, edited by Cacioppo, Tassinary and Berntson, succeeds commendably on the first and third count, and sufficiently on the second.
The textbook consists of 36 short chapters and is globally organized into two parts, each comprising three sections. The first part, titled ‘Foundations of Psychophysiology’, addresses a wide array of physiological systems and their measures. Section 1 describes techniques capable of assessing or altering activity in the central nervous system, with individual chapters focusing on topics such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Section 2 offers in-depth descriptions of the more traditional psychophysiological measures of the peripheral nervous system, such as those that probe cardiovascular, electrodermal and electromyographic responses. Moreover, attention is given to areas that, despite their unique contributions, are often overlooked in psychophysiological research (e.g. respiration, sexual response and gastrointestinal function). The last section of Part 1 deals with physiological responses on the cellular and humoral level, with chapters centring on topics like the endocrinology of stress and the innate and adaptive immune systems. All chapters in the first part of the book start out with succinct descriptions of the historical context in which the specific physiological system should be viewed, followed by detailed biological background information and, if applicable, the physical rationale behind the relevant techniques. For instance, the chapter on the cardiovascular system written by Berntson, Quigley and Lozano eases readers into measures like electrocardiography by giving a very clear review of the basic anatomy and physiology. However, this background information can easily be skipped by the advanced reader, since the rest of the chapter is accessible and can be read independently. After a basic grounding, chapters give specific examples of how the discussed system has bearing on psychophysiological research. For instance, the chapter on event-related potentials (ERPs) offers insights in both the parametric characteristics and theoretical implications of several prominent ERPs; just as the chapter on EEG does for oscillation rhythms. However, the strongest point of all these chapters is the way in which their uniform structure fluently paves the way for a description of issues pertaining to the pragmatics of these techniques. For instance, the excellent chapter on fMRI by Wager, Hernandez, Jonides and Lindquist offers a considerable amount of detail on experimental design in fMRI and its data analysis. Comparably, the chapter on TMS (by Luber, Peterchev, Nguyen, Sporn and Lisanby) discusses issues that relate to parametric safety guidelines; as well as the use of coil shape and position of stimulation. Likewise, the clearly written chapter on reproductive hormones, by Snowdon and Ziegler, includes an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of measuring hormone levels in different bodily sources. Overall the wide scope of ‘fundamentals’ discussed in this part of the book is truly impressive, with perhaps the notable exclusion of the pupillary system. Nevertheless, the comprehensiveness of this part of the book is undeniable and is complemented by chapters that strike an excellent balance between theoretical and practical information.
The second part of the book bears the somewhat vague title ‘Elements and Principles’, and contains sections that deal with widely varying topical areas of psychophysiological research (Section 4), more specific applications of such research in everyday life (Section 5), and finally the methodological considerations of psychophysiological research in general (Section 6). Individual chapters are again stand-alone units of which the majority is very well written. In Section 4, chapters are again set in a historical context, after which follows a review of the main topics of the research field, incorporating the various psychophysiological methods and techniques used in that area. For instance, the high-quality chapter on developmental psychophysiology,written by Fox, Schmidt, Henderson and Marshall, gives an account of the insights that have been gained in the development of cognition, emotion and personality in humans, through techniques that tap into both the central nervous system (event-related potentials) and the peripheral nervous system (cardiovascular measures), thereby elegantly illustrating the convergence of such diverse approaches. Section 5 deals with even more practical applications, as these chapters discuss the role of psychophysiology in society. Among others, topics include the role of psychophysiology in the study of behavioral medicine, lie detection and transactions between humans and their environment. The selection of chapters succeeds in giving important insights in how psychophysiological methods are applied (Steptoe gives a great account of how psychophysiology helps unravel the nature of psychosocial influences on disease), have great promise in the future (Kramer and Parasuraman address issues such as the potential of brain–computer interfaces), or have been, on occasion, misused in the past because of questionable or absent theoretical foundations (Iacono discusses this in his chapter on deception).
Overall this textbook easily meets and exceeds the demands that can be placed on a contemporary textbook on psychophysiology. Nevertheless, the book has its weaknesses. First, the topical approach in Section 4, in combination with the wide scope of areas dealt with, results in consecutive chapters on widely disparate topics, from behavioral genetics to the mechanisms of attention; or stress and illness to sleep and dreaming. Given that chapters are on average about 20 pages, this continuous shifting between such chapters make the book feel fragmentary at times. A more structured approach within this particular section would have certainly benefited its cohesion. Second, different chapters deal with highly similar topics. For instance, while the short chapter on the neural basis of affective and social behaviour by Adolphs and Spezio is highly enjoyable, it could have been merged with the chapter on emotion and motivation by Lang and Bradley. In the same vein, the concept and implications of stress are extensively documented in a great number of chapters, but unfortunately not always in an exclusive manner. This indubitably reflects the intention of the editors to connect the extant literatures on physical health and psychological processes, but some of this redundancy could surely have been done away with. The final point of critique is a minor issue, as it pertains to the occasional colour reference in legends of grayscale figures that occurs in the earlier chapters especially.
It seems fitting to end the critique on a somewhat trivial note, since the book's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. To reiterate, the main strengths of this textbook are its comprehensiveness, its clear writing, and the excellent balance struck in the chapters between theoretical background and practical advice. In short, the 3rd edition of the Handbook of Psychophysiology is a valuable addition to the collection of students and researchers.
