Higher Electrodermal Activity Research Articles

Modeling Sensor-based Vigilance Decrement in the Healthcare Environment

Vigilance refers to an individual’s ability to maintain attention over time. Vigilance decrement is particularly concerning in clinical environments where shift work and long working hours are common. This study identifies significant factors and indicators for predicting and monitoring individuals’ vigilance decrement. We enrolled 11 participants and measured their vigilance levels by recording their reaction times while completing the Psychomotor Vigilance Test. Additionally, we measured participants’ physiological responses and collected their sleep deprivation data, demographic information, and self-reported anxiety levels. Using repeated-measures correlation analysis, we found that decreased vigilance levels, indicated by longer reaction times, were associated with higher electrodermal activity ( p < .01), lower skin temperature ( p < .001), shorter fixation durations ( p < .05), and increased saccade frequency ( p < .05). Moreover, sleep deprivation significantly affected vigilance decrement ( p < .001). Our findings provide the potential to develop a predictive model of vigilance decrements using physiological signals collected from non-intrusive devices, as an alternative to current behavior-based methods.

Can a virtual human increase mindfulness and reduce stress? A randomised trial

BackgroundStress is a significant issue amongst university students, yet limited psychological services are available. Mindfulness is effective for stress reduction and can be delivered digitally to expand access to student populations. However, digital interventions often suffer from low engagement and poor adherence. A virtual human may improve engagement and adherence through its humanlike appearance and behaviours. ObjectiveTo examine whether a virtual human could reduce stress in university students at least as much as a teletherapist, and more than a chatbot, using a mindfulness intervention. MethodsStressed university students (N = 158) were randomly allocated to the virtual human (N = 54), chatbot (N = 54), or teletherapist (N = 50). 36 participants received each condition. Participants completed one lab session and were asked to do online homework sessions at least twice weekly for four weeks. Changes in self-reported stress and mindfulness, physiological stress indices, homework completion, and perceptions of the agent were compared between groups. Thematic analysis was conducted on participants’ responses to open-ended questions about the interventions. ResultsThere were significant reductions in stress and increases in mindfulness across all groups. All groups had higher peripheral skin temperature post-intervention, and only the teletherapy group had higher electrodermal activity (reflecting elevated stress) post-intervention compared to baseline. There were no significant changes in heart rate. Homework adherence was significantly higher in the virtual human group, whereas homework satisfaction and engagement were lowest in the chatbot group. Thematic analysis found that people thought the robotic voice of the virtual human could be improved, the chatbot could be improved by adding audio, and that participants experienced feelings of judgement from the teletherapist. DiscussionOverall, results support use of virtual humans for delivering mindfulness interventions in stressed students. Virtual humans may have the advantage over teletherapy and chatbots of increasing adherence in student populations, but more work is needed to increase perceived empathy and replicate results in other populations.

Frustration elevates arousal in individuals high on the psychopathy scale: The role of approach, not avoidance motivation

Psychopaths tend to react with aggression when mistreated. The literature offers two contradicting explanations of this subject. The aim of this study is to determine whether approach or (the lack of) avoidance motivation underlie emotional reactions of individuals with elevated psychopathic tendencies in frustrative situations. The sample of sixty participants (43.3% male) participated in the experiment in which the Ultimatum Game was used to induce the feeling of injustice. The participants received four fair offers in the first phase of the game and six unfair offers in the second phase of the experiment. Their electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded during both parts of the experiment. Along with the EDA recording, the participants fulfilled Short Dark Triad (SD3) questionnaire and Questionnaire of Approach and Avoidance Motivation (QAAM). Generally, the unfair offers significantly elevated EDA in comparison to the levels of EDA during the fair part of the experiment. The mediational analysis conducted by hierarchical regression analysis revealed that psychopathy is associated with a higher EDA in frustrative conditions, which is entirely explained by QAAM wanting, i.e. approach-related scale. Neither of avoidance-related scales predicted the EDA. This result indicates that individuals with elevated psychopathic tendencies experience stronger emotional reactions when facing the potential loss of rewards, which is driven by their stronger approach motivation, and not by the lack of avoidance motivation. Hence, the study contributes to the understanding of the underlying reason for emotional reactions of individuals with elevated psychopathic tendencies in unfair conditions within the approach-avoidance framework. Implications for the methodological setting of future studies on this subject are discussed.

Emotional stress & decision-making: an emotional stressor significantly reduces loss aversion

Stress influences loss aversion, the principle that losses loom larger than gains, although the nature of this relationship is unclear. Studies show that stress reduces loss aversion; however, stress response has been only studied by means of physiological measures, but the stressor emotional impact remained unclear. Since emotions can modify stress response and increase the activity of the loss aversion neural substrates, it could be expected that an emotional stressor may produce the opposite effect, i.e. loss aversion increase. 69 participants were divided into experimental and control group. The first one was exposed to emotional stress through a 5-minutes video, and control group viewed a match-length distractor video. Physiological stress response was assessed by means of electrodermal activity (EDA), and both perceived stress, and negative affect (i.e. psychological stress response) were registered through questionnaires. Both groups performed a mixed gamble task, which allowed the extraction of loss aversion through a Bayesian-computational model. During and after video, experimental group had higher electrodermal activity, perceived stress, and negative affect than controls, suggesting that emotional stress induction was effective. However, rather than increasing, loss aversion of stressed participants was lower. These results constitute a new evidence of emotional stress influencing loss aversion and highlight that stress, regardless of its emotional impact, can reduce this phenomenon. These results should be considered when predicting risky decisions.

Multisystem physiological reactivity during help-seeking for attachment needs in school-aged children: differences as a function of attachment

ABSTRACT In this study, we sought to expand on what is currently known regarding autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity in middle childhood as a function of attachment. ANS activity includes multiple indices – respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is an index of parasympathetic nervous system activation (PNS) and electrodermal activity (EDA) is an index of sympathetic nervous system activation (SNS). Children (N = 103) completed Child Attachment Interviews and read vignettes describing situations aimed to activate attachment needs (NEED; e.g., getting hurt, which can elicit need for comfort or assistance) and help-seeking (HS; when children experience need and seek comfort from attachment figures), while SNS and PNS reactivity were monitored. Attachment was not associated with children’s SNS or PNS reactivity during NEED, but attachment was associated with physiological reactivity during HS: Dismissing attachment was associated with greater SNS activation (higher EDA) and preoccupied attachment with PNS deactivation (lower RSA, greater vagal withdrawal) during HS.

Cognitive task performance under (combined) conditions of a metabolic and sensory stressor

Effects of stressors on cognitive task performance have primarily been studied in isolation, and little is known about the combined effects of two or more stressors. This study examined how a metabolic stressor (skipping breakfast) and a sensory stressor (noise) affect cognitive task performance in isolation and combined. In addition to performance, we collected physiological and subjective data to get insight in the underlying mechanisms. Twenty participants came to the lab twice, once after skipping breakfast, and once after a standardized breakfast. They performed runs of the 2-back task and the International Shopping List Task, which were alternately presented with and without noise. During the 2-back task, electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and electroencephalography (EEG) were recorded. Subjective ratings on effort and stress were also collected. No interaction effects between the two stressors on cognitive performance were found. Skipping breakfast did not cause hypoglycemia, but resulted in subjective discomfort and a lower state of arousal (as indicated by lower heart rate and EDA). These may underly the trend for more missed responses on the 2-back task after breakfast skipping. Noise appeared to generate arousal and increased attention (reflected in higher EDA and P300) in accordance with higher experienced load and stress. This is consistent with less missed 2-back responses in noise conditions. The results indicate that individuals spent extra effort to maintain task performance in the presence of noise. We propose to use a model that, besides additional effort, takes the effect of stressors on performance into account.

Physiological investigation of cognitive load in real-life train travelers during information processing

Management of travelers' cognitive load is crucial for efficient information processing for optimal railway operations. We investigated variations in travelers' cognitive load with different expertise levels, in a field study. We aimed to assess the use of three eye metrics: pupil diameter, saccade amplitude and gaze of fixation duration for cognitive load analysis between expert and novice travelers in a Mass Transit train station: Saint-Michel Notre Dame. Physiological measures of emotional activity through skin conductance responses were also investigated, together with subjective measures of mental load using NASA-Task Load Index. Our results followed our expectations, where novice travelers expressed higher cognitive load than expert travelers, characterized by wider pupil diameter, larger amplitude of saccade and longer gaze duration, as well as higher electrodermal activity and NASA-TLX. Additional observations showed that experts used hierarchical and symmetrical scan paths, with more intense exposure on relevant information, characterized by brighter heat maps. This difference in behavior showed a clear difference in strategies for information retrieval at different expertise levels. Metrics of eye tracking device, together with electrodermal activity, proved to be potent in cognitive load analysis of train travelers, and helped to provide insights for real-life information processing.

Cooperation Induces an Increase in Emotional Response, as Measured by Electrodermal Activity and Mood

Humans need social interaction with others for survival. Competition and cooperation are two somewhat opposed interpersonal strategies that help us to achieve both individual and shared aims and objectives. The aim of this research was to study whether autonomic activity is a good indicator of emotional activation in response to social interaction (cooperation, competition) or working alone, considering gender and outcome obtained in tasks (positive or negative) as moderating variables. We tested electrodermal activity (EDA) and mood before, during and after social (cooperation, competition) or working alone in men (64) and women (60), young-adult students from the University of Valencia. Higher EDA was observed in individuals taking part the cooperative than the competitive task. Further, men who competed showed lower SCLs than men who performed the other type of task. In contrast, women who cooperated demonstrated lower NSCRs than women who competed and men who cooperated. Participants with negative outcomes and women were found to have worse mood states. Our results may be generalizable to situations in which negotiation, mediation and cooperative strategies are relevant for decision making and/or problem solving.

Investigation of dose-related effects of carnosine on anxiety with sympathetic skin response and T-maze.

Carnosine is a dipeptide formed of the amino acids β-alanine and histidine. Only a limited number of studies have examined the effects of carnosine on sympathetic nerve activation and anxiety. The present study was undertaken to determine the dose-related effects of carnosine on anxiety in the elevated T-maze test (ETM) with electrodermal activity (EDA). Carnosine was injected in three groups of rats with doses of 10 (low dose), 100 (medium dose) and 1000 (high dose) mg/kg i.p. Physiological saline was injected in the sham group. The anxiety scores of the rats were measured with ETM 20 minutes after injection. Then, SCL was measured. The decreased number of entries into the open arm (NEOA), the percentage of time spent in the open arm (% TSOA) and higher EDA [shown by skin conductance level (SCL)] indicate higher anxiety. The NEOA and % TSOA were lower in the high-dose group than in the other groups. SCL was lower in the medium-dose carnosine group than in the high-dose carnosine and sham groups. SCL was higher in the high-dose group than in the medium-dose and sham groups. Our results suggest that high-dose carnosine produced anxiety-like effects as assessed in the SCL and ETM. Medium-dose carnosine acted as an anxiolytic. The anxiety-related responses of carnosine depend on its dose-related effect.

Lower Electrodermal Activity to Acute Stress in Caregivers of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Adaptive Habituation to Stress

Caring for a relative with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails being under chronic stress that could alter body homeostasis. Electrodermal activity (EDA) is an index of the sympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system related to emotionality and homeostasis. This study compares EDA in response to acute stress in the laboratory between parents of people with (n = 30) and without (n = 34) ASD (caregivers and non-caregivers, respectively). Caregivers showed lower EDA in response to acute stress than non-caregivers. They also presented higher trait anxiety, anger, depression, and somatic symptoms than non-caregivers. Higher EDA was related to a worse mood and more severe somatic symptoms only in caregivers. These results could reflect an adaptive habituation to stress and establish that high EDA in response to acute stress depends on caregivers' health.

The Role of Tactile Support in Arm Levitation

How many persons need tactile support à la Milton H. Erickson to achieve arm levitation during hypnosis? How do these differ from those who do not need it? Hypnotic arm levitation was suggested three times consecutively to 30 medium suggestible students. Sixteen succeeded without any tactile support; 7 needed it one or two times; 5 needed it every time; and 2 achieved no arm levitation at all. Participants without any tactile support went more quickly into deeper hypnosis, experienced more involuntariness, less effort, and had higher electrodermal activity. This greater physiological activity seems necessary for hypnotic arm levitation as a form of “attentive hypnosis” in contrast to “relaxation hypnosis.” A change in verbal suggestion from “imagine a helium balloon” to “leave levitation to your unconscious mind” revealed no differences. Several issues resulting from this exploratory arm levitation study are discussed. The idea of different proprioceptive-kinesthetic abilities is introduced and the profound need of co-creating an individual suggestion is emphasized.

Electrodermal Activity and Affective Symptoms in Allergic Depressed Inpatients

Electrodermal hypoactivity is a known phenomenon in depression. For different reasons a hyperactive electrodermal system should be more likely in allergic persons because of the known hyperreactivity both to psychological and immunological stimuli. Hypothesis of this study therefore was that this higher activity should also be seen in comorbid allergic depressed and anxious patients in comparison to non-allergic depressive patients. In a two-factorial variance analytic design (factor 1: anxiety/depression and anxiety/depression versus factor 2: allergy/non-allergy) we examined 45 age matched female depressed (D) and comorbid anxious (DA) inpatients of the Weissenau Depression Ward and female patients with anxiety/panic disorders (A) in a Budapest outpatient clinic. Besides measurement of electrodermal parameters (SCL, SFL, amplitude) patients filled in questionnaires (BDI, STAIG, B-L and a questionnaire regarding allergy). Results show no interaction between allergy and depression, but the three diagnostically groups differentiate as would be expected in BDI (p = 0.0038) with highest scores in DA; in all groups depression scores are highest in allergic patients (p = 0.07). Additionally in all diagnostic groups allergic patients had significantly higher electrodermal activity (SCL, p = 0.005) than non-allergic patients. Significant highest electrodermal activity were measured in the depressed group (D, p = 0.026) and not as we would have expected in the comorbid group DA. The implications for diagnostic-therapeutic strategies are discussed.

Electrodermal activity in patients with persistent insomnia.

In order to evaluate daytime arousal in patients with persistent insomnia, electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured in a habituation paradigm (21 tones, 80 dB, 1 s) in forty patients with persistent insomnia and in twenty normal subjects. Results showed that the patients had higher EDA than the controls implying a higher arousal level in the patients. Among the patients the distribution of trials to a habituation criterion was bimodal and patients were separated into habituators (n = 24) and non-habituators (n = 16). Non-habituators had significantly higher EDA than habituators and they also had a shorter nocturnal sleep time. Thus, daytime arousal was, significantly related to nocturnal sleep in the patients. Both patients with Psychophysiological Insomnia and Insomnia Associated with Psychiatric Disorders had higher EDA than the controls, and EDA was also significantly related to sleep in both groups. Results lend further support for the notion of an excessive daytime arousal, which may serve as a common predisposing factor in the initiation or maintenance of persistent insomnia.