Abstract
Portable and wireless devices that collect physiological data are becoming more and more sought after in clinical and psychophysiological research as technology swiftly advances. These devices allow for data collection in interactive states, such as dyadic therapy, with reduced restraints compared to traditional laboratory devices. One such portable device is the Empatica E4 wristband (Empatica Srl, Milan, Italy) which allows quantifying cardiac interbeat intervals (IBIs), heart rate variability (HRV), and electro-dermal activity (EDA), as well as several other acceleration and temperature measures. In the current study, we aimed to assess IBI, HRV, and EDA measures, against the same data collected from the well-validated MindWare mobile impedance cardiograph device (MindWare Technology, Gahanna, OH, United States). We assessed the E4 strictly as a research instrument and not as a clinical tool. We were specifically interested in the wristbands’ performance during naturalistic interactive face-to-face conversations which inherently involve more hand movements. We collected data from 30 participants, nested in 15 dyads, which were connected to both devices simultaneously, during rest and during a social conversation. After preprocessing and analyses, we found that mean IBIs obtained by the E4 and the MindWare device, were highly similar during rest and during conversation. Medium to high correlations were found between the devices with respect to several HRV measures, with higher correlations during rest compared to conversation. The E4 failed to produce reliable EDA data. We conclude by discussing the strengths and limitations of the E4 during seated conversational states and suggest optimal ways to collect and analyze data with the E4.
Highlights
Acquiring psychophysiological data during naturalistic interactive states is of great interest to many psychological researchers (Morris and Aguilera, 2012), especially for clinical and socially focused research, due to higher external validity compared to data collection from individuals undergoing confining laboratory procedures
The current study asked to evaluate the quality of data derived from the Empatica E4 wristband during naturalistic social interactions like a dyadic conversation, against the established MW mobile impedance cardiograph device
We found that the E4 wristband is a reliable tool for acquiring mean interbeat intervals (IBIs) and mean heart rate (HR) data
Summary
Acquiring psychophysiological data during naturalistic interactive states is of great interest to many psychological researchers (Morris and Aguilera, 2012), especially for clinical and socially focused research, due to higher external validity compared to data collection from individuals undergoing confining laboratory procedures. Assessing HRV and EDA From the Empatica E4 a biased picture of the social phenomenon examined (Zaki and Ochsner, 2009; Shamay-Tsoory and Mendelsohn, 2019), as the setting as well as restraints on movement may lead to nonnaturalistic situations (e.g., participants are connected to multiple electrodes and wires, the experiment must take place in the laboratory). These restrictions might result in limited ecological validity (Raugh et al, 2019). It is important to have an independent validation for these devices, in order to inform their use in behavioral research
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