psychophysiologische

Psychophysiologische (German for psychophysiological) refers to the interdisciplinary area that links psychological processes with physiological responses. As an adjective, it describes methods, measurements, phenomena and research that investigate how mental states—such as emotions, attention, stress and cognition—are associated with activity in the nervous system and other bodily systems.

Psychophysiological research uses a variety of central and peripheral measures. Common techniques include electroencephalography (EEG) and event‑related potentials for brain activity, functional neuroimaging for regional activation, electromyography (EMG) for muscle activity, electrocardiography and heart rate variability (HRV) for cardiac function, skin conductance (electrodermal activity) for sympathetic nervous system arousal, and pupillometry for autonomic and cognitive responses. Experimental paradigms often combine behavioral tasks with physiological recording to examine temporal and causal relationships.

Applications span basic science and applied fields: cognitive and affective neuroscience, clinical assessment and biofeedback, stress and health research, human factors, sports psychology and some areas of marketing and forensic practice. Interpretation requires caution because physiological signals are often non‑specific, influenced by individual differences and context, and subject to measurement artifacts. Ethical considerations include informed consent, data privacy and limits of inference from physiological correlates to inner states. Historically rooted in 19th–20th century psychophysiology and neuroscience developments, the term remains in use in German and related scholarly contexts to describe tools and perspectives that bridge mind and body.