Does the Electrodermal System "Take Sides" When It Comes to Emotions?

Traditionally, electrodermal research measurements were taken from the non-dominant hand. This was considered a valid measurement of arousal for the whole body. Some, however argue for a complex and asynchronous electrodermal system in terms of lateral and dermatome differences in emotional responding. The present study measured skin conductance responses to emotionally laden musical stimuli from the left and right index and middle fingers, as well as the left and right plantar surface of right handed participants (N = 39). The 7-s musical segments conveyed four emotional categories: fear, sadness, happiness and peacefulness. Our results suggest, that the electrodermal system responds to emotional musical stimuli in a lateralized manner on the palmar surfaces. Fear, sadness and peacefulness prompted right hand dominance while happiness elicited left hand dominant response. Lateralization of the palmar and plantar surfaces differed significantly. Moreover, an association between lateralization of the electrodermal system in response to fear and state anxiety was found. Results of the present study suggest that the electrodermal system displays lateral preferences, reacting with varying degree of intensity to different emotions. Apart from lateral differences, music induced emotions show dermatome differences as well. These findings fit well with Multiple Arousal Theory, and prompt for revaluating the notion of uniform electrodermal arousal.

Hungarian validation of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Is the short form more adequate?

OBJECTIVE: We aim to provide a publicly available Hungarian version of the BPAQ; compare the BPAQ factors to other personality traits; and compare both the original BPAQ factor structure provided by Buss and Perry (J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., 63, 1992, 452), the revised BPAQ-SF factor structure by Bryant and Smith (J. Res. Pers., 35, 2001, 138), and the BAQ by Webster et al. (Aggress. Behav., 40, 2014, 120). METHODS: The validation of the Hungarian version of the BPAQ was carried out on a Hungarian university sample (N = 841). There were three main focuses of data analysis: descriptive statistics, correlations, and confirmatory factor analyses. RESULTS: CFA-related statistics showed an adequate fit for the BPAQ 4 factors; however, contrary to prior validations of BPAQ, we were not able to clearly define the verbal aggression factor. We found that the shorter form of the BPAQ has a better model fit on our sample than the original form, while the model fit of the BAQ was in-between these. BPAQ scales showed low to moderate relationship with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. CONCLUSION: Both the BPAQ and the BPAQ-SF, also the BAQ provide acceptable model fitting on a Hungarian sample of university students. While most of BPAQ items provided adequate loadings on their hypothesized factors, two items (21 and 27) did not. We argue this is the result of conceptual inaccuracy of the original items.

Bilateral comparison of traditional and alternate electrodermal measurement sites.

Advances in mobile and wireless technology have expanded the scope of electrodermal research. Since traditional electrodermal measurement sites are not always suitable for laboratory research and are rarely appropriate for ambulatory measurements, there is a need to explore and contrast alternate measurement locations. We evaluated bilateral electrodermal activity (EDA) from five measurement sites (fingers, feet, wrists, shoulders, and calves). In a counterbalanced, randomized, within-subjects design study, participants (N = 115) engaged in a 4-min-long breathing exercise and were exposed to emotionally laden and neutral stimuli. High within-subject correlations were found between the EDA measured from fingers bilaterally (r = .89), between the left fingers and both feet (r = .72). Moderate correlations were found between EDA measured from the left fingers and wrists (r = .30 and r = .33), low correlations between the left fingers and the shoulders (r = -.03 and r = -.06) or calves (r = .05 and r = .14). Response latency was the shortest on the fingers while it was the longest on the lower body. Short response windows would miss some of the responses from the palmar surfaces and a substantial number from other evaluated locations. The fingers and the feet are the most reliable locations to measure from, followed by the wrists. We suggest setting site-specific response windows for different measurement locations. An investigation of repeatability showed that within-subject correlations, response frequencies, response amplitudes show a similar pattern from the first measurement time to a later one.

Obimon: An open-source device enabling group measurement of electrodermal activity.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) provides the means to gauge the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. Assessment of EDA for research purposes requires measurement systems that are sensitive to small changes in arousal in the full measurement range, collecting, storing, and monitoring data. The objective behind designing a new open-source device was to be able to measure EDA simultaneously on many subjects, monitoring their activity in real time remotely and collecting high precision data suitable for analyses. To assure feasibility of simultaneous measurements on multiple subjects, the devices must be compact and wearable, without compromising data quality. Experiments were carried out using synchronized devices in group and single subject environments. Validity of EDA measurements of Obimon was demonstrated compared to a reference system (Nexus) during a breathing exercise, a short movie, and while exposed to loud computer-generated tones, using Pearson correlation, Passing-Bablok regression, and Bland-Altman analysis. Seamless management of several Obimons and real-time visualization of EDA via Android phone/tablet application from a large number of participants was demonstrated. Based on analyses of the data collected, we conclude that the Obimon device presented here is a valid and feasible tool for collecting EDA in single or multisubject environments.