Higher Skin Conductance Levels Research Articles

Trait impulsivity influences behavioural and physiological responses to threat in a virtual environment

Trait impulsivity represents a tendency to take action without forethought or consideration of consequences. This trait is multifaceted and can be decomposed into attentional, motor and non-planning subtypes of impulsivity. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how subtypes of trait impulsivity responded to different degrees of threat within room-scale virtual reality (VR) with respect to behaviour and level of physiological activation. Thirty-four participants were required to negotiate a virtual environment (VE) where they walked at height with the continuous threat of a virtual ‘fall.’ Behavioural measures related to the speed of movement, interaction frequency and risk were collected. Participants also wore ambulatory sensors to collect data from electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodermal activity (EDA). Our results indicated that participants who scored highly on non-planning impulsivity exhibited riskier behaviour and higher skin conductance level (SCL). Participants with higher motor impulsivity interacted with more objects in the VE when threat was high, they also exhibited contradictory indicators of physiological activation. Attentional impulsivity was associated with a greater number of falls across the VE. The results demonstrate that subtypes of trait impulsivity respond to threats via different patterns of behaviour and levels of physiological activation, reinforcing the multifaceted nature of the trait.

Stress Inoculation in Police Officers Using Virtual Reality: A Controlled Study.

Policing is a highly demanding and stressful profession. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing stress management programs, including for police officers. The use of VR in combination with biosensors enables measurement of psychophysiological responses such as peripheral temperature (PT) and skin conductance level (SCL). This study investigated the psychophysiological responses of police officers exposed to a VR scenario simulating a car accident. The study included a total of 63 police officers from the Public Security Police. Participants were divided into three groups based on their police divisions: the Investigation Brigade of Traffic Accidents, the Traffic Surveillance Squad (TSS), and a control group from the Lisbon Metropolitan Command. The results indicated that the VR environment effectively induced psychophysiological arousal, particularly in less experienced officers (TSS), that is, there were significant group differences in mean SCL and PT, showing this group with higher SCL and lower PT during the VR exposure. These results support the potential of VR as a stress inoculation strategy for training police officers and highlight the complex nature of stress responses that are influenced by individual factors and psychopathology.

Physiological responses to the virtual reality-based Trier social stress test in patients with psychosis

ObjectivesThe Trier social stress test (TSST) is one of the most reliable and widely used laboratory tests for evaluating the physiological stress response. We developed a virtual reality-based TSST (VR-TSST) and investigated the physiological responses to this test in patients with psychosis and healthy controls (HCs).MethodsThe participants comprised 60 patients with psychosis and 66 HCs. The VR-TSST consisted of three scenarios: a resting phase (baseline; 2 min), a job interview (5 min), and a mental arithmetic task (5 min). Blood cortisol levels were measured at baseline, during the test, and at 5–10 min and 30 min after the test. The skin conductance level, heart rate, and RR intervals were measured at baseline, during the job interview, and during the arithmetic task.ResultsThe VR-TSST produced no discernible cortisol response in patients with psychosis compared to the HCs. However, a higher skin conductance level and heart rate and shorter RR intervals were found in the patients than in the HCs at baseline, during the job interview, and during the arithmetic task.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the current version of the VR-TSST induces stronger autonomic and cardiovascular, but not endocrine, responses in patients with psychosis than in HCs. The VR-TSST could be a valuable tool to evaluate or train the stress response in patients with psychosis.

Entropy Analysis of Neonatal Electrodermal Activity during the First Three Days after Birth

The entropy-based parameters determined from the electrodermal activity (EDA) biosignal evaluate the complexity within the activity of the sympathetic cholinergic system. We focused on the evaluation of the complex sympathetic cholinergic regulation by assessing EDA using conventional indices (skin conductance level (SCL), non-specific skin conductance responses, spectral EDA indices), and entropy-based parameters (approximate, sample, fuzzy, permutation, Shannon, and symbolic information entropies) in newborns during the first three days of postnatal life. The studied group consisted of 50 healthy newborns (21 boys, average gestational age: 39.0 ± 0.2 weeks). EDA was recorded continuously from the feet at rest for three periods (the first day—2 h after birth, the second day—24 h after birth, and the third day—72 h after birth). Our results revealed higher SCL, spectral EDA index in a very-low frequency band, approximate, sample, fuzzy, and permutation entropy during the first compared to second and third days, while Shannon and symbolic information entropies were lower during the first day compared to other periods. In conclusion, EDA parameters seem to be sensitive in the detection of the sympathetic regulation changes in early postnatal life and which can represent an important step towards a non-invasive early diagnosis of the pathological states linked to autonomic dysmaturation in newborns.

Physiological Factors Linking Insecure Attachment to Psychopathology: A Systematic Review.

Although many studies have documented associations between insecure attachment and psychopathology, attachment may not confer risk for psychopathology independently, but rather through its interaction with emotional, social, and biological factors. Understanding the variables through which attachment may lead to psychopathology is therefore important. Within this domain of research, the role of physiological factors is poorly investigated. What are the relevant domains and why, when, or for whom do they influence mental disorders relating to attachment? The current systematic review aims to answer these questions. Results reveal that physiological indices of emotional regulation play a role in explaining and/or determining the relationship between attachment and psychopathology. Specifically: (1) combined with insecure attachment, higher skin conductance level (SCL), lower cardiac slowing, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia modulation (RSA) contribute to different psychopathological indicators and behavioral/psychological dysfunctions, although the latter predicts a contradictory pattern of findings; (2) insecure-avoidant attachment is more consistently linked with stress and emotional dysregulation when combined with RSA, while anxious attachment confers risk of depressive symptoms when combined with SCL. We concluded our discussion of the results of seven studies by outlining a plan to move the field forward. We discuss the quality of the assessment, methodological limitations, and future directions, highlighting the need to extend the research to clinical samples.

Emotional Reactivity and Regulation in Preschool-Age Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter: Evidence From Autonomic Nervous System Measures.

Purpose: This experimental cross-sectional research study examined the emotional reactivity and emotion regulation in preschool-age children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) by assessing their psychophysiological response during rest and while viewing pictures from the International Affective Picture System (Lang et al., 2008).Method: Participants were 18 CWS (16 boys and two girls; mean age 4 years, 5 months) and 18 age- and gender-matched CWNS. Participants' psychophysiological responses were measured during two baselines and two picture viewing conditions. Skin conductance level (SCL) and heart rate were measured to assess emotional reactivity. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured to assess emotional regulation. Participants' shyness and executive function were assessed via parent report and considered for their effects on participants' psychophysiological responses.Results: First, CWNS and CWS did not differ in their initial baseline SCL, heart rate, or RSA, but all participants had higher SCL and lower RSA in the second baseline, subsequent to the first challenge condition, compared to the first baseline. Second, during the challenge conditions, CWS did not differ from CWNS in their SCL, but showed a significantly higher heart rate than CWNS. Third, CWS exhibited a significantly lower RSA during the challenge conditions compared to CWNS. Lastly, the temperamental quality of shyness was associated with preschool-age children's SCL, such that participants who were rated higher in shyness had a higher SCL during the challenge conditions. Participants' executive function had a marginally significant effect on the RSA, such that the participants who had higher executive function composite scores exhibited lower RSA during the challenge conditions.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CWS and CWNS did not differ in their emotional reactivity and emotional regulation abilities at rest. During challenge conditions, however, CWS tended to be more emotionally reactive, as indicated by a higher heart rate, and also employed more emotional regulation, indexed by a greater decrease in RSA, compared to CWNS. Preschool-age children's behavior is largely dominated by reactivity, but there is the emergence of regulation, which can help children adjust to various contextual demands. For CWS who are more emotionally reactive, regulatory skills may be particularly critical to their prognosis and treatment.

The \u2018Threat of Scream\u2019 paradigm: a tool for studying sustained physiological and subjective anxiety

Progress in understanding the emergence of pathological anxiety depends on the availability of paradigms effective in inducing anxiety in a simple, consistent and sustained manner. The Threat-of-Shock paradigm has typically been used to elicit anxiety, but poses ethical issues when testing vulnerable populations. Moreover, it is not clear from past studies whether anxiety can be sustained in experiments of longer durations. Here, we present empirical support for an alternative approach, the ‘Threat-of-Scream’ paradigm, in which shocks are replaced by screams. In two studies, participants were repeatedly exposed to blocks in which they were at risk of hearing aversive screams at any time vs. blocks in which they were safe from screams. Contrary to previous ‘Threat-of-Scream’ studies, we ensured that our screams were neither harmful nor intolerable by presenting them at low intensity. We found higher subjective reports of anxiety, higher skin conductance levels, and a positive correlation between the two measures, in threat compared to safe blocks. These results were reproducible and we found no significant change over time. The unpredictable delivery of low intensity screams could become an essential part of a psychology toolkit, particularly when investigating the impact of anxiety in a diversity of cognitive functions and populations.

Time Passes Slowly When You Are Concealing Something

The item to be concealed elicits greater physiological arousal than other items. Since high physiological arousal causes an overestimation of time, the display duration of an item is expected to be perceived as longer when people intend to conceal it. After stealing and concealing one item, 36 university students were asked to judge the display duration of an item as shorter than, equal to, or longer than a memorised duration of 2 s. Pictures of three items including the stolen item were presented in the guilty condition, whereas pictures of three items that had not been stolen were presented in the innocent condition. The display of all items in the guilty condition was perceived as longer than in the innocent condition without difference between the concealed and other items. The intention to conceal increases tonic arousal reflected in a higher skin conductance level and leads to a non-specific temporal overestimation.

Emotional response in depersonalization: A systematic review of electrodermal activity studies

BackgroundDepersonalization is a complex phenomenological experience initially described as a psychological disturbance of self-awareness. Among the different dimensions underlying depersonalization, emotional numbing appears to be a key symptom but remains a poorly understood phenomenon. MethodWe conducted a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, of studies investigating electrodermal activity, a well-documented marker of bodily arousal expression of emotion. Studies were selected from the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PsychINFO databases. ResultsAmong the 64 studies initially identified, 11 were finally included, involving 148 patients with depersonalization disorder and 173 healthy subjects for whom depersonalization symptoms were assessed. The main results of these studies suggest that depersonalization is marked by a high skin conductance level and attenuated skin conductance responses to negative stimuli. LimitationsDue to discrepancies in methodology, we were not able to conduct quantitative analyses. Moreover, the studies included had limited sample sizes, restricting the generalizability of the results. ConclusionThough further evidence is required, it appears from electrodermal studies that depersonalization is associated with hypervigilance and emotional detachment during threatening situations. However, because emotional numbing might not be restricted to negative events, we proposed perspectives for future research, stressing the need to explore emotional responses of patients with depersonalization to positive situations.

Warmer Environments Increase Implicit Mental Workload Even If Learning Efficiency Is Enhanced.

Climate change is one of the most important issues for humanity. To defuse this problem, it is considered necessary to improve energy efficiency, make energy sources cleaner, and reduce energy consumption in urban areas. The Japanese government has recommended an air conditioner setting of 28°C in summer and 20°C in winter since 2005. The aim of this setting is to save energy by keeping room temperatures constant. However, it is unclear whether this is an appropriate temperature for workers and students. This study examined whether thermal environments influence task performance over time. To examine whether the relationship between task performance and thermal environments influences the psychological states of participants, we recorded their subjective rating of mental workload along with their working memory score, electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rate variability, skin conductance level (SCL), and tympanum temperature during the task and compared the results among different conditions. In this experiment, participants were asked to read some texts and answer questions related to those texts. Room temperature (18, 22, 25, or 29°C) and humidity (50%) were manipulated during the task and participants performed the task at these temperatures. The results of this study showed that the temporal cost of task and theta power of EEG, which is an index for concentration, decreased over time. However, subjective mental workload increased with time. Moreover, the low frequency to high frequency ratio and SCL increased with time and heat (25 and 29°C). These results suggest that mental workload, especially implicit mental workload, increases in warmer environments, even if learning efficiency is facilitated. This study indicates integrated evidence for relationships among task performance, psychological state, and thermal environment by analyzing behavioral, subjective, and physiological indexes multidirectionally.

Taming anger and trusting others: Roles of skin conductance, anger regulation, and trust in children's aggression.

Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. However, their early physiological and social-emotional correlates have not been examined simultaneously. We tested whether children's skin conductance level, anger regulation, and trust in others were differentially related to their proactive and reactive aggression. Four-year-olds and their primary caregivers were recruited from a large Canadian city (N=150). Controlling for reactive aggression, higher trust was associated with lower proactive aggression, but only for children with low anger regulation or skin conductance level. Controlling for proactive aggression, lower anger regulation was related to higher reactive aggression, and higher trust was related to higher reactive aggression for children with high skin conductance level. Findings highlight the unique and collective relations of physiology, emotion regulation, and trust to different forms of aggression in early childhood. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. Unique physiological and social-emotional correlates of each subtype have been studied in middle and late childhood. Trust is a critical milestone for positive social interactions in early childhood and has been linked to aggression. What the present study adds Physiological and social-emotional correlates are uniquely linked to subtypes of aggression already at age 4. Trust is differentially linked to aggression subtypes as a function of anger regulation and skin conductance level.

Fine Particle Air Pollution and Physiological Reactivity to Social Stress in Adolescence: The Moderating Role of Anxiety and Depression.

Exposure to high levels of fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) is associated with adolescent pathophysiology. It is unclear, however, if PM2.5 is associated with physiology within psychosocial contexts, such as social stress, and whether some adolescents are particularly vulnerable to PM2.5-related adverse effects. This study examined the association between PM2.5 and autonomic reactivity to social stress in adolescents and tested whether symptoms of anxiety and depression moderated this association. Adolescents from Northern California (N = 144) participated in a modified Trier Social Stress Test while providing high-frequency heart rate variability and skin conductance level data. PM2.5 data were recorded from CalEnviroScreen. Adolescents reported on their own symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Youth Self-Report, which has been used in prior studies and has good psychometric properties (Cronbach's α in this sample was .86). Adolescents residing in neighborhoods characterized by higher concentrations of PM2.5 demonstrated greater autonomic reactivity (i.e., indexed by lower heart rate variability and higher skin conductance level) (β = .27; b = .44, p = .001, 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.68) in response to social stress; this association was not accounted for by socioeconomic factors. In addition, adolescents who reported more severe anxiety and depression symptoms showed the strongest association between PM2.5 and autonomic reactivity to social stress (β = .53; b = .86, p < .001, 95% CI = 0.48 to 1.23). Exposure to PM2.5 may heighten adolescent physiological reactivity to social stressors. Moreover, adolescents who experience anxiety and depression may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of PM2.5 on stress reactivity.

Emotional Underarousal and Overarousal and Engagement in Relational Aggression: Interactions between Relational Victimization, Physiological Reactivity, and Emotional Sensitivity.

The present study examined if overarousal (i.e., dysregulation and high emotional sensitivity) and underarousal (i.e., fearlessness and emotional insensitivity) to peer stress, reflected in physiological reactivity and subjective emotional sensitivity, exacerbated risk for relational aggression in relationally victimized children. Participants were a community sample of 125 children (10-12years, M = 11.34years, SD = 0.89; 45% female). Teachers provided ratings of children's relational victimization and relational aggression. Children's physiological reactivity was assessed based on skin conductance level (SCL) reactivity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity to a standardized peer rejection task. Children's subjective emotional sensitivity was assessed using self-reported ratings of distress to hypothetical relational provocation vignettes. Results indicated that relational victimization was significantly associated with relational aggression only for children with high SCL reactivity and high emotional sensitivity (i.e., physiological and subjective overarousal) and for children with low SCL reactivity and low emotional sensitivity (i.e., physiological and subjective underarousal); relational victimization did not predict relational aggression among children with high SCL reactivity but low emotional sensitivity or among children with low SCL reactivity but high emotional sensitivity. Relational victimization was also marginally more strongly associated with relational aggression for children displaying RSA augmentation. Results suggest emotional overarousal and underarousal may both serve as vulnerabilities for relational aggression among relationally victimized youth, and underscore the importance of including physiological and subjective indices of emotional reactivity in studies of aggression. Implications for theory and intervention are discussed.

Could Alcohol Abuse Drive Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators' Psychophysiological Response to Acute Stress?

Proactively aggressive individuals have been shown to present a different pattern of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation from that of individuals characterized by reactive violence. Although attempts have been made to classify intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators based on ANS reactivity to acute stress, subsequent studies have failed to replicate this classification. Notably, the proposed classification neglected the role of chronic alcohol abuse in ANS dysregulation and the fact that this dysregulation entails an abnormal stress response. The aim of the present study was to analyze the response profile (psychological state and ANS response) of groups of IPV perpetrators with high (n = 27) and low (n = 33)-risk alcohol use to an acute stressor, compared to controls (n = 35). All IPV perpetrators scored higher on executive dysfunctions and impulsivity and showed larger decreases in positive affect, less satisfaction, and a higher external locus of control after the stressor than controls. IPV perpetrators with low-risk alcohol use had higher skin conductance levels and breathing reactivity than controls, especially during preparatory, task, and recovery periods. This information could help to develop methods for increasing batterers’ behavioral self-regulation, thus decreasing IPV recidivism risk.

Psychophysiological Responses to “Happy” and “Sad” Music

Lundqvist, Carlsson, Hilmersson, and Juslin (2009) presented evidence of differential autonomic emotional responses to “happy” and “sad” music in healthy adult listeners. The present study sought to replicate and extend these findings by employing a similar research design and measurement instruments. Therefore, we used instrumental film music instead of vocal music, and assessed listeners’ music expertise. The present results show similarities and differences in patterns of psychological and physiological responses as compared to the previous work. Happy music evoked more happiness, higher skin conductance level, higher respiratory rate, and more zygomatic facial muscle activity than sad music, whereas sad music generated higher corrugator muscle activity than happy music. Influences of music sophistication as well as of sex were negligible. Taken together, these results further support the hypothesis that music induces differential autonomic emotional responses in healthy listeners. They also highlight the importance of replication or multi-site studies to strengthen the empirical basis of fundamental issues in music psychological research.

Autonomic stress reactivity and craving in individuals with problematic Internet use.

The link between autonomic stress reactivity and subjective urge/craving has been less systematically examined in behavioral addictions (i.e. problematic Internet use) than in substance use disorders. The present study investigated whether problematic Internet users (PU) show enhanced autonomic stress reactivity than non-PU, indexed by lower Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and higher Skin Conductance Level (SCL) reactivity during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), whether greater reactivity is related to stronger Internet craving, and whether problematic Internet usage is associated with some dysfunctional psychological features. Based on their Internet Addiction Test scores, participants were divided into PU (N = 24) and non-PU (N = 21). Their heart rate and skin conductance were continuously recorded during baseline, social stressors, and recovery. Craving for Internet usage were collected using a Likert scale before and after the TSST. The SDNN, an overall measure of HRV, was significantly lower in PU than non-PU during baseline, but not during and after stressful task. Furthermore, only among PU a significant negative correlation emerged between SDNN during recovery and craving ratings after the test. No group differences emerged for SCL. Lastly, PU endorsed more mood, obsessive-compulsive, and alcohol-related problems. Our findings suggest that problems in controlling one’s use of the Internet may be related to reduced autonomic balance at rest. Moreover, our results provide new insights into the characterization of craving in PIU, indicating the existence of a relationship between craving for Internet usage and reduced autonomic flexibility.

Explaining parental coviewing: The role of social facilitation and arousal

ABSTRACTThis study explores the relationship between parental coviewing and children’s psychophysiological responses to television exposure within a framework of social facilitation. A total of 88 children aged 6–13 years and one of each of their parents participated in a 2 (presence or absence of the parent) × 2 (exciting or non-exciting TV content) between-subjects experiment. Results indicated that the presence of a coviewing parent was associated with an increase in children’s arousal (higher skin conductance levels) and cognitive resource allocation (lower heart rate), especially for younger children who came from homes where parental coviewing was a relatively frequent activity. These findings suggest that the mere presence of a coviewing parent is sufficient to alter children’s processing of television messages.

Evaluating the Link Between Dopaminergic Treatment, Gait Impairment, and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease

Anxiety is the most under-recognized nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), yet it is unclear whether motor impairment exacerbates anxiety observed in PD, or vice versa. The current study examined: (1) whether movement (i.e., walking vs. standing) elevates distress in PD; (2) how dopaminergic treatment influences anxiety specifically while walking; and (3) whether these responses are worse in PD patients with gait impairments (compared to those without). Twenty healthy control participants (HC), 17 PD participants without gait impairments (PD-GI), and 14 PD participants with gait impairments (PD+GI) performed two tasks (stand vs. walk) in two virtual environments: (1) LOW threat; (2) HIGH threat. This protocol was completed in on and off dopaminergic states (to evaluate the effect of exacerbating motor symptoms). PD+GI reported greater levels of anxiety compared to PD-GI and HC overall. All participants reported greater levels of anxiety and had higher skin conductance levels (SCLs) when walking compared to standing. The HIGH threat condition also generated greater levels of anxiety in all participants, compared to LOW threat, especially when required to walk. Notably, only PD+GI reported greater levels of anxiety when walking compared to standing in the LOW threat environment. Dopaminergic medication reduced self-reported levels of anxiety, but did not significantly change SCL. This study provides evidence that movement exacerbates anxiety in all older adults, but is particularly influential in those with gait impairments, which emphasizes the importance of optimally treating movement impairments as a method of reducing movement driven anxiety.

Emotional–motivational responses predicting choices: The role of asymmetrical frontal cortical activity

We examined (a) how emotional attachment to a choice option as indexed by state-related changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry over the prefrontal cortex and electrodermal activity predicts choices and mediates the endowment effect and (b) the emotional–motivational responses to trade-off choices. Thirty-eight participants made choices between three 4-product packages, in which the frequency of each of the products varied. Greater relative left frontal activation and high peak skin conductance level (SCL) elicited by a previously selected choice option predicted a stronger endowment effect, suggesting that approach motivation and emotional attachment mediate the endowment effect. Not selecting a choice option with high emotional attachment elicited relatively greater right hemisphere activation, supporting also the role of loss aversion in the endowment effect. In addition, high trade-off difficulty was associated with increased withdrawal motivation (or less approach motivation) and negatively valenced arousal. We conclude with a discussion of practical implications of our findings.

Variability in emotional/behavioral problems in boys with oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder: the role of arousal.

It is often reported that children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) are under-aroused. However, the evidence is mixed, with some children with ODD/CD displaying high arousal. This has led to the hypothesis that different profiles of arousal dysfunction may exist within children with ODD/CD. This knowledge could explain variability within children with ODD/CD, both in terms of specific types of aggression as well as comorbid symptoms (e.g., other emotional/behavioral problems). We measured heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate (HR) and skin conductance level (SCL) during rest and stress, and obtained parent and teacher reports of aggression, anxiety, attention problems and autism traits in a sample of 66 ODD/CD and 36 non-clinical boys (aged 8–12 years). The ODD/CD group scored significantly higher on aggression, anxiety, attention problems and autism traits than the controls; boys with ODD/CD also had higher resting HRs than controls, but HR stress, HRV and SCL did not differ. Hierarchical regressions showed different physiological profiles in subgroups of boys with ODD/CD based on their type of aggression; a pattern of high baseline HR and SCL, but low stress HRV was related to reactive aggression, whereas the opposite physiological pattern (low HR, low stress SCL, high stress HRV) was related to proactive aggression. Furthermore, high stress SCL was related to anxiety symptoms, whereas low stress SCL was related to attention problems. These findings are important because they indicate heterogeneity within boys with ODD/CD and highlight the importance of using physiology to differentiate boys with different ODD/CD subtypes.