Wireless | Personality Indicators for Flow State Susceptibility
Flow is described as almost complete immersion in a task or activity. Previous studies have identified that this intensive involvement leads to lower feelings of self consciousness, allowing concentration on a task to become effortless. Researchers Tain et al. (2017) sought to understand if there are precursors such as personality that would make individuals more susceptible to flow.Video games were the chosen task for inducing participants’ state of flow. Computer moderated environments (CME’s) can provide clear goals and instant feedback important for eliciting flow. It’s also easy to manipulate CME’s difficulty, which was an important variable for the study. The researchers hypothesized higher reported levels of task difficulty and shyness would be identifiable precursors for an individual’s ability at attaining flow state.
Out of 350 potential participants who applied for the study, those who had the 20 highest and lowest scores for self-reported shyness were chosen. Once selected, these participants were then asked to play a 3D Tetris-like game. The participants had to play at three different intervals lasting six minutes, with each interval varying the speed in which the pieces fell for the purpose of manipulating difficulty. While on the computer, ECG signals of each participant were acquired through BIOPAC’s BioNomadix wireless respiration and ECG amplifier. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire asking if they realized how much time had passed. Awareness of time passing allowed for measurement of the amount of flow participants were experiencing. ECG signals and self-reported information were then analyzed, comparing differences between the shy and non-shy groups.
Researchers found significant physiological differences between the two groups. The shy group was seen as having a high heart rate when in flow state, and high levels when completing moderate and difficult tasks. Despite physiological differences, researchers weren’t able to identify shyness as a precursor of flow state. When in flow, participants were found to have increased and deeper respiration, while heart rate and variability stayed moderate. Instead of resulting in an increased amount of mental effort, researchers were able to conclude that flow only required a moderate amount of effort but lead to an increased state of parasympathetic activity.
Being that challenge in the task was induced for the purpose of eliciting anxiety in participants, the authors recommended future experiments should asses the amount of skill the user has before the task is administered. The authors identified that more research should be done in this field examining how different mental and physiological measurements could be telling of flow state.
Wireless | Testing VO2 Max
Cardiovascular tests during a self-paced maximal exercise protocol (SPV) continually scored high ratings of VO2 max when compared to more traditional procedures. Jenkins et. al sought to understand the underlying causes of this increase in VO2 max by testing SPV versus the more regimented RAMP method. They sought to explore the results through extensive physiological measurement, as well as testing difference in older and younger age groups, while participants completed physical experiments.
The SPV protocol was completed on an air-braked cycle ergometer, which allowed participants to continually vary their Power Output (PO) throughout the test. An electro-magnetically braked cycle ergometer was used for the RAMP protocol, so that PO was fixed for each stage of the incremental RAMP protocol.
VO2 Max is essentially the maximum amount of oxygen utilized during a workout. Forty-four (44) male and female participants completed the experiment, half aged between 18- 30 and half between 50-75. The participants completed each test over a multi-day period. The tests were exhaustive, requiring subjects to cycle in place until they couldn’t any longer.
Jenkins et. al recorded various physiological signals including NIRS, breathing/expired gases, cardiac output/ stroke volume, blood lactate, and electromyography (EMG). BIOPAC’s BioNomadix research acquisition system wirelessly transmitted EMG data using two electrodes placed on participants’ right leg while they completed physical tasks.
Researchers were able find differences in the interaction effects of EMG between the two test protocols in the older group. The results complied with previous research, in that SPV allowed a higher VO2 max compared RAMP. Through monitoring physiological measurement, the study results suggested increased oxygen delivery as to an increase in oxygen-muscle extraction. The researchers found that there wasn’t a significance difference between the two testing protocols with the older population, though it’s unclear why. Overall, the experiment provides greater understanding of what causes differences in VO2 max between the two experimental procedures.
Wearable | Pitch Perfect Analysis
Pitch determines the level of influence on listener perception, physiological arousal, attention, and memory, according to new research published in Human Communication Research (June 2017). Professors at the Communication Department and Department of Translation and Language Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Institute for Communication Research at Indiana University conducted the joint study to examine intonation’s impact on interpersonal influence with self-report analyses and memory tests.BIOPAC’s BioNomadix helped the researchers discover the psychophysiological signs of comprehension and autonomic arousal. Physiological data aided the researchers in understanding participant attention, offering an objective analysis of the participant’s experience. Each participant identified as female and listened to both narrative and informative commercials, with varying intonation, while wearing BIOPAC’s technology. The participants' retention and cognitive processing suggest that tone does affect interpersonal influence. Commercials, with a unique level of intonation (or the most varying), proved to have the highest standards of influence. The more varying in pitch or tone, the more likely participants were to process and recall information in the commercials. BIOPAC’s BioNomadix allowed the researchers to record wireless EDA from the participants, capturing electrical responses to communication within participants to improve understandings of effective communication. Specifically, BioNomadix wirelessly recorded response data from a wearable transmitter to measure the arousal and attention of participants by capturing their skin conductance response after exposure to stimuli. This type of research will continue evolving media communication and interpersonal influence systems for anyone interested in effective communication strategies. The study’s breakthrough research offers an incentive for further study into the cognitive processing of audio communication.
Facial EMG for Advertising Research
Facial electromyography (FEMG) was compared to the more commonly used EMG in an experimental context to indentify if there is a more accurate approach that can be taken by neurological researchers in the field of advertising. Authors Lajante et al. identified that there are short comings when utilizing EMG to provide insight on the emotional reactions of individuals to advertising content and that other methodological approaches could be beneficial. FEMG represents a closer analysis on subtle facial movements, through which there is the potential of signaling positive and negative emotions in very subtle facial motions or changes.
Comfortably seated in a laboratory setting, participants were fitted with electrodes and warned not to make unnecessary movements. EMG and FEMG were then concurrently monitored while advertisements by eight distinct brands were displayed on a flat screen TV in front of them. After being exposed to the advertisements, participants completed a 9-point self-assessment survey. BIOPAC’s wearable BioNomadix 2ch EMG transmitter was utilized for the purpose of collecting the FEMG signals. These signals were measured through observing specific, responsive muscle movements. Upward movements at the corners of the mouth indicated the Zygomaticus major, responsible for smiling or positive emotional response. Negative emotions were similarly identified through a frowning gesture indicated by eyebrow contractions.
The researchers concluded that while facial EMG provides benefits as a form of measurement, there are extenuating complications with recording. Though it does effectively measure the emotional valence of a participant, there are doubts in the confidence of reliability and validity of the data. Lajante et al. addressed the importance of abiding strictly by the technological and methodological guidelines if considering this new and relatively unexplored area of research. Ultimately this study represents baby steps in exploring an exciting new avenue of research. Facial EMG has the potential of being a more emotionally sensitive approach when further researching and understanding people.