Measurement Of Electrodermal Activity Research Articles

A Freshening Breath of Insight

A Freshening Breath of Insight

Towards user-adapted training paradigms: Physiological responses to physical threat during cognitive task performance

Feedback of physiological responses have a great potential to support virtual training paradigms aimed to increase cognitive task performance under stressful threatening conditions. In the current study, we examined the sensitivity of a range of physiological indicators derived from electrodermal activity (EDA), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) to measure stress as induced by the threat of an electric shock (ES). In contrast to previous work that studied physiological stress responses compared to a rest condition, we compared conditions with high cognitive load combined with stress caused by threat of an ES, to conditions with high cognitive load without such stress. Twenty-five participants performed a cognitively demanding task in an experimental setup. At certain 10 s time intervals, indicated by a continuous tone, participants were either asked to do their best and increase cognitive task performance (non-threat condition), or they were told that they could receive an ES during this interval if cognitive task performance was not high enough (threat condition). Physiological measures, task performance and self-reported measures of stress and workload were analysed. Task performance and self-reported measures of stress and workload were roughly the same in both conditions. Especially EDA measures were affected by the threat of an ES. Threat and non-threat conditions could be distinguished with an across-participant classifier using EDA and BP features with an accuracy of 70%. These results suggest that EDA and BP can be used to evaluate stress coping training paradigms or to individually adapt the stress levels in virtual training environments. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Virtual reality storytelling as a double-edged sword: Immersive presentation of nonfiction 360°-video is associated with impaired cognitive information processing

ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of the immersive presentation of nonfiction omnidirectional video on audiences’ cognitive processing. Participants watched a sample of 360°-video nonfiction content, presented either in a virtual reality headset or on a computer screen. Measures of heart rate variability and electrodermal activity were collected, together with self-reported ratings of presence, information recognition, and memory. The results indicate that the immersive presentation elicits higher arousal and presence, but also lower focused attention, recognition, and cued recall of information. These effects on focused attention and memory were not mediated by variations on arousal or presence. Implications are discussed in terms of the psychological effects of immersive media, as well as their relevance for media practitioners.

Validating Measures of Electrodermal Activity and Heart Rate Variability Derived From the Empatica E4 Utilized in Research Settings That Involve Interactive Dyadic States.

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.

Using a mobile health device to manage severe mental illness in the community: What is the potential and what are the challenges?

There has been a revolution in the use of mobile health devices for monitoring physical health. There is more recent interest in whether these devices can also be used for monitoring symptoms of mental illness. This paper considers how stress increases risk of mental deterioration and individuals with mental illness are sensitive to the effects of stress. It discusses how an inexpensive mobile health device could be used for detecting physiological signs of stress: deviations in biometrics such as sleep, activity and arousal may reflect a stress response and increased risk of relapse. These biometrics can allow patients to self-monitor and clinicians to detect early warning signs. This paper reviews the measurement of electrodermal activity, actigraphy and heart rate to predict mental deterioration. It considers the advantages of continuous measurement and reviews studies using mobile health devices to monitor stress and psychosis. It describes the potential for using a mobile health device to manage and monitor severe mental illness in young adults. Finally, this paper considers challenges associated with this approach, particularly with regard to correctly interpreting the physiological data and integrating the mobile health device into clinical practice. This paper concludes a mobile health device has the potential to enhance care by improving detection of early warning signs and increasing the connection between clinicians and their patients.

Predicting changes in performance due to cognitive fatigue: A multimodal approach based on speech motor coordination and electrodermal activity

Objective Military job and training activities place significant demands on service members’ (SMs’) cognitive resources, increasing risk of injury and degrading performance. Early detection of cognitive fatigue is essential to reduce risk and support optimal function. This paper describes a multimodal approach, based on changes in measures of speech motor coordination and electrodermal activity (EDA), for predicting changes in performance following sustained cognitive effort. Methods Twenty-nine active duty SMs completed computer-based cognitive tasks for 2 h (load period). Measures of speech derived from audio were acquired, along with concurrent measures of EDA, before and after the load period. Cognitive performance was assessed before and during the load period using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics Military Battery (ANAM MIL). Subjective assessments of cognitive effort and alertness were obtained intermittently. Results Across the load period, participants’ ratings of cognitive workload increased, while alertness ratings declined. Cognitive performance declined significantly during the first half of the load period. Three speech and arousal features predicted cognitive performance changes during this period with statistically significant accuracy: EDA (r = 0.43, p = 0.01), articulator velocity coordination (r = 0.50, p = 0.00), and vocal creak (r = 0.35, p = 0.03). Fusing predictions from these features predicted performance changes with r = 0.68 (p = 0.00). Conclusions Results suggest that speech and arousal measures may be used to predict changes in performance associated with cognitive fatigue. This work supports ongoing efforts to develop reliable, unobtrusive measures for cognitive state assessment aimed at reducing injury risk, informing return to work decisions, and supporting diverse mobile healthcare applications in civilian and military settings.

Real-Time Psychophysiological and Writing Correlates of Expressive Writing.

Concealing memories and emotions associated with a traumatic event seems to have negative effects on health. Re-enacting those events through writing is an opportunity to disclose such memories and emotions, and especially for emotion regulation. To study this, 57 university students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. They either completed an expressive writing or a neutral writing task. Real-time writing and psychophysiological data were recorded throughout the experiment to examine writing dynamics associated with emotion regulation and its psychophysiological correlates (electrodermal activity and electrocardiography measures). The results showed that the expressive group (EG) paused for longer than the control group (CG) denoting a positive and medium effect size . Furthermore, during and after writing, the EG showed a higher low frequency/high frequency ratio than the CG, evidencing a positive and large effect size . These real-time findings are interpreted as signs of emotion regulation happening during writing.

Simultaneous measurement of electrodermal activity components correlated with age-related differences.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) measurements are influenced by various factors. Age-related psychological and physiological changes may be considered as one of the possible factors which may influence EDA measurements. In order to properly investigate the effects of such factors on EDA, techniques of precisely and simultaneously recording more than one EDA parameter are recommended. This study aims to explore the impact of age-related differences on EDA components through employing a new measuring technique, which is composed of a small front-end electronic box, DAQ card, and a laptop running LabVIEW software. It is dependent on the simultaneous recording of three EDA parameters: skin conductance (SC), skin potential (SP), and skin susceptance (SS) at the same skin site. EDA components as results of breathing, mathematical tasks, and image stimuli were recorded from 60 healthy participants simultaneously at the same skin site. They were categorized by age into young adults (ages 18-25), middle-aged adults (ages 30-40), and old adults (ages 50-70) years. It was found that skin potential responses (SPRs), and skin conductance level (SCL) (p < 0.001), were significantly decreased due to aging, but changes in other EDA parameters were nonsignificant (p > 0.05). Moreover, both tonic and phasic SS were the least affected and found to be more robust than SC and SP with respect to aging. The study suggests that it is important to take age into account in research studies where the mean aim of the study is to compare EDA parameters; however, in the meantime, the results from our small number and specific study population cannot be generalized to clinical applications.

M107. EXPLORING REAL-TIME VARIABILITY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL, PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL, AND BEHAVIOURAL RISK FACTORS FOR AGGRESSION: A NOVEL APPROACH COMBINING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE REMOTE MONITORING

BackgroundMost service users diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder are not aggressive, but this behaviour does occur in inpatient mental health services worldwide. Aggression is difficult to predict and is influenced by a combination of changeable psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural factors. Current assessment methods are limited to observable behaviours, conducted relatively infrequently, and demonstrate poor predictive accuracy. Advances in active (experience sampling methodology) and passive (wearable psychophysiological sensors) remote monitoring enable monitoring of psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural parameters in real-time. Monitoring real-time variability in these parameters could identify concerning changes earlier than is currently possible and enable support to be provided sooner. This study aimed to examine real-time variability psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural factors among an inpatient sample, and relationship with behavioural incidents.MethodsService users (N=40) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and/or antisocial personality disorder were recruited from a medium-secure inpatient forensic mental health service in the UK. Participants completed a blended active and passive remote monitoring study for seven consecutive days. Participants rated 20 psychological and behavioural items at random periods seven times per day, while wearing a passive remote monitoring device which simultaneously collected measurements of electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, and physical activity. Behavioural incidents occurring during the study were recorded from staff-completed behaviour rating scales, and participants’ electronic hospital records. Multi-level models were constructed to examine the role of psychophysiological, psychological, and behavioural factors in predicting behavioural incidents, controlling for covariates such as physical movement and medication.ResultsThe findings demonstrate the within- and between-participant variability in psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural parameters occurring in real-time, with high ecological validity. Multi-level modelling enabled the predictive ability of these changes in relation to behavioural incidents to be examined, in addition to the timeframe over which this predictive relationship exists.DiscussionTo our knowledge this is the first study to examine real-time change in psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural parameters in relation to behavioural incidents. This blended active and passive remote monitoring approach can offer a temporally precise method of assessing change in these parameters, which participants regarded as acceptable. This novel method could assist in identifying concerning change in these parameters earlier and delivering timely support for service users experiencing difficulties, which could be explored in future research.

Electrodermal Correlates of Hypnosis: Current Developments

Hypnosis has proven to be an effective treatment in disorders that affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, the studies investigating the nature of its effect on the ANS have reported contradictory results. Measurement of electrodermal activity (EDA) is an objective way to assess the activity of the sympathetic branch of the ANS. We aim to elucidate the effects of hypnosis on EDA. Here, we report the results of two studies, both investigating the psychophysiological effects of hypnosis.In the first experiment, subjects engaged in an HGSHS:A group hypnosis session to measure their hypnotizability. EDA was measured bilaterally from their wrists. We found a significant reduction in EDA levels and the number of nonspecific responses during the hypnotic induction phase. This effect was observed in all three hypnotizability groups—high, medium, and low hypnotizables. A three-way interaction confirmed that EDA patterns on the left and right sides were characteristically different in these three groups. Left-side dominance was typical in high hypnotizables, whereas low hypnotizables were characteristically right-sided. EDA levels of the two sides remained synchronous in medium hypnotizables. During the suggestion phase, we found significant differences in EDA levels depending on the test suggestions, modulated by hypnotizability. A suggestion, harder to respond to, elicited higher arousal in high hypnotizables as compared to low hypnotizables. In the second experiment, we performed five consecutive hypnosis sessions to confirm the reproducibility of the most prominent effect found in Study 1—a gradual decrease in the level of skin conductance during hypnotic induction. We also confirmed that this effect is independent of the hypnotizability level. We conclude that arousal is bilaterally reduced during hypnosis induction, which is persistent across different levels of hypnotizability. At the same time, lateral differences define unique EDA patterns in the induction phase, characterizing high, medium, and low hypnotizables.

Assessing Autonomic Function from Electrodermal Activity and Heart Rate Variability During Cold-Pressor Test and Emotional Challenge

Standard functional assessment of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity on cardiovascular control relies on spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) series. However, difficulties in obtaining a reliable measure of sympathetic activity from HRV spectra limits the exploitation of sympatho-vagal metrics. On the other hand, measures of electrodermal activity (EDA) have been demonstrated to provide a reliable quantifier of sympathetic dynamics. In this study we propose novel indices of phasic autonomic regulation mechanisms by combining HRV and EDA correlates and thoroughly investigating their time-varying dynamics. HRV and EDA series were gathered from 26 healthy subjects during a cold-pressor test and emotional stimuli. Instantaneous linear and nonlinear (bispectral) estimates of vagal dynamics were obtained from HRV through inhomogeneous point-process models, and combined with a sensitive maker of sympathetic tone from EDA spectral power. A wavelet decomposition analysis was applied to estimate phasic components of the proposed sympatho-vagal indices. Results show significant statistical differences for the proposed indices between the cold-pressor elicitation and previous resting state. Furthermore, an accuracy of 73.08% was achieved for the automatic emotional valence recognition. The proposed nonlinear processing of phasic ANS markers brings novel insights on autonomic functioning that can be exploited in the field of affective computing and psychophysiology.

Examination of electrodermal and cardio-vascular reactivity in virtual reality through a combined stress induction protocol

In this study, task-related stress induction through Stroop task and social stress induction protocol based on elements of Trier Social Stress Test are examined. The aim of the paper is to find the optimal combination of social and task-related stress to be used to consistently and reliably induce a stressful reaction. In total 16 healthy subjects participated in this study that seeks to find and compare the different stressors and their relation to physiological reactivity. Our findings show that electrodermal activity measurements are suitable when using a combination of stressors while heart rate and Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences highlight a greater reactivity to task-stress.

Ličnost i reakcija na iznenadni događaj

Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio ispitati interindividualne razlike u elektrodermalnim reakcijama na iznenadni podražaj. Za ispitivanje toga cilja korištene su različite metode procjene elektrodermalne reakcije. Procjena reakcije kao jednostavna razlika prosječne elektrodermalne razine prije i poslije podražaja uspoređena je s pristupima koji modeliraju krivulju elektrodermalne reakcije kroz vrijeme. Ispitana je povezanost takve reakcije, modelirane na različite načine, s upitničkim mjerama osobina ličnosti. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 97 studenata u dobi od 18 do 28 godina, većinom ženskoga spola (60 %). Svaki je ispitanik ispunio kratku mjeru neuroticizma i ekstraverzije iz Petofaktorskoga inventara ličnosti (BFI; John i sur., 1991, 2008) te je sudjelovao u jednome laboratorijskome mjerenju elektrodermalne reakcije na iznenadni događaj u trajanju od 8 minuta. Elektrodermalna aktivnost modelirala se na tri načina: 1) kao razlika u reakcijama prije i poslije podražaja; 2) uključujući i linearne efekte vremena; 3) uključujući i kvadratne efekte vremena. Ishodi takvoga modeliranja korelirani su s upitničkim mjerama neuroticizma i ekstraverzije. Rezultati su pokazali da uzimajući u obzir efekte protoka vremena sama procjena krivulje elektrodermalne aktivnosti značajno bolje pristaje stvarnim izmjerenim podacima. Isto tako, procjene elektrodermalne reakcije koje uzimaju u obzir efekte protoka vremena rezultiraju višim prosječnim razinama i većim interindividualnim varijabilitetom. Tako modelirana elektrodermalna reakcija (linearno i kvadratno) pokazuje nešto blago više i značajne pozitivne korelacije s neuroticizmom, iako su razlike između različitih načina modeliranja relativno male. Dobiveni rezultati podupiru ideju o većoj pobudljivosti vezanoj uz crtu neuroticizma. Iako su korelacije iznimno male, ne odstupaju od onih dobivenih u drugim istraživanjima, pogotovo jer je riječ o jednome mjerenju (Stemmler i Wacker, 2010). S obzirom na intenzitet reakcije, moguće je da pobudljivost vezana uz neuroticizam i nije specifično vezana za valenciju podražaja koji tu reakciju pobuđuje. Rezultati također pokazuju da se i na malome uzorku i korištenjem samo jednoga mjerenja, uz adekvatno modeliranje elektrodermalne aktivnosti, može detektirati povezanosti s osobinama ličnosti.

A physiological assessment of patient pain during surgery with wide-awake local anesthesia

PurposePatients receiving surgery with wide-awake local anesthesia typically report little or no intraoperative pain. However, self-report assessments of pain are susceptible to bias. In the present study, patient self-report ratings were supplemented with objective physiological measures of electrodermal activity. MethodsFifteen patients receiving forefoot surgery using wide-awake local anesthesia were recruited. Pain ratings and skin conductance responses were acquired during the initial anesthetic injection (into unanesthetized tissue), during a follow-up anesthetic injection (into anesthetized tissue), and during five intraoperative procedures. ResultsThe highest ratings of self-reported pain coincided with the initial anesthetic injection, and pain ratings were similarly low at all remaining measurement points. Fourteen patients reported no pain beyond the initial injection, whereas one patient reported minimal pain during two intraoperative procedures. Skin conductance data were consistent with pain ratings such that responses to the initial injection were significantly larger than responses at any subsequent measurement point. ConclusionThese results provide further evidence that patients experience little or no pain during surgery with wide-awake local anesthesia.

The effects of distraction on threat-related changes in standing balance control

Research indicates that threat-induced changes in standing balance are associated with shifts in attention focus. This study investigated whether distracting attention modifies threat-induced changes in standing balance. Twenty-five healthy young adults stood without (No Threat) and with (Threat) the possibility of receiving a temporally unpredictable anteroposterior support surface translation. In both conditions, participants completed a distractor task that consisted of counting how often a pre-selected letter occurred in an auditory sequence, or no distractor task. Emotional responses to threat were quantified using electrodermal activity and self-report measures, while attention focus was quantified using self-report. Centre of pressure (COP) was measured to assess changes in standing balance. Results indicate that postural threat induced an emotional response, as well as broad shifts in attention focus and changes in standing balance. Distracting attention with a cognitive task mitigated threat-induced increases in medium-frequency COP displacements (0.5–1.8 Hz). These results provide support for a relationship between threat-related changes in balance control and attention focus.

Electrodermal activity in relation to diabetes, autonomic neuropathy and aging: a preliminary study

A reduced electrodermal activity (EDA) may be related to autonomic neuropathy (AN). The aims of this study were to independently study the characteristics of the EDA and its correlation with diabetes and AN. During a selfdesigned test, mean skin conductance level (MSCL), mean skin conductance response (MSCR) to stimuli, and difference in MSCL between feet (DBF) were obtained through a modelbased decomposition based on Bayesian statistics and mathematical convex optimization. A group of 22 subjects were included for the final test. Diabetic patients were stratified based on their clinical history and care habits, dividing them into those out of risk and those at risk of developing AN. Statistical difference was found for the latter regarding MSCR (p &lt; 0,01) and DBF (p &lt; 0,05) with respect to the control group. While past research failed to address potential sources of interference with the EDA measurement, namely emotional state, degree of concentration on the task, and body posture, this study proposes a welldefined protocol to stimulate subjects and acquire proper and reliable EDA data.

Electrodermal activity measurements for detection of emotional arousal

Electrodermal activity measurements for detection of emotional arousal

The use of electrodermal activity (EDA) measurement to understand consumer emotions – A literature review and a call for action

Electrodermal activity (EDA) is a psychophysiological indicator of emotional arousal. EDA measurement was first employed in consumer research in 1979 but has been scarcely used since. In the past decade, the ease of access to EDA recording equipment made EDA measurement more frequent in studies of consumer emotions. Additionally, recent calls to include physiological data in consumer studies have been voiced, which in turn is increasing the interest in EDA. Such a growing interest calls for assessing why and how EDA measurement has been used and should be used in consumer research. To this end, we undertook a critical review of studies of consumer emotions that employed EDA measurement. We found that most of these studies did not sufficiently report how they recorded and analyzed EDA data, which in turn impeded the replication of the findings. We therefore make recommendations derived from the psychophysiology literature to help consumer researchers get meaningful insights from EDA measurements. Finally, we call on researchers to be more transparent when reporting how they recorded and analyzed EDA data.

Gaze behaviour and electrodermal activity: Objective measures of drivers’ trust in automated vehicles

Studies show that drivers’ intention to use automated vehicles is strongly modulated by trust. It follows that their benefits are unlikely to be achieved if users do not trust them. To date, most studies of trust in automated vehicles have relied on self-reports. However, questionnaires cannot capture real-time changes in drivers’ trust, and are hard to use in applied settings. In previous work, we found evidence that gaze behaviour could provide an effective measure of trust. In this study we tested whether combining gaze behaviour with Electrodermal Activity could provide a stronger metric. The results indicated a strong relationship between self-reported trust, monitoring behaviour and Electrodermal Activity: The higher participants’ self-reported trust, the less they monitored the road, the more attention they paid to a non-driving related secondary task, and the lower their Electrodermal Activity. We also found evidence that combined measures of gaze behaviour and Electrodermal Activity predict self-reported trust better than either of these measures on its own. These findings suggest that such combined measures have the potential to provide a reliable and objective real-time indicator of driver trust.

Combining physiological data and subjective measurements to investigate cognitive load during complex learning

Cognitive load theory is one of the most influential theoretical explanations of cognitive processing during learning. Despite its success, attempts to assess cognitive load during learning have proven difficult. Therefore, in the current study, students’ self-reported cognitive load after the problem- solving process has been combined with measures of physiological data, namely, electrodermal activity (EDA) and skin temperature (ST) during the problem-solving process. Data was collected from 15 students during a high and low complex task about learning and teaching geometry. This study first investigated the differences between subjective and physiological data during the problem- solving process of a high and low complex task. Additionally, correlations between subjective and physiological data were examined. Finally, learning behavior that is retrieved from log-data, was related with EDA. Results reveal that the manipulation of task complexity was not reflected by physiological data. Nevertheless, when investigating individual differences, EDA seems to be related to mental effort.