Interaction among participants in a collective intelligence experiment: an emotional approach.

Introduction: The construct of collective intelligence assumes that groups have a better capacity than individuals to deal with complex, poorly defined problems. The digital domain allows us to analyze this premise under circumstances different from those in the physical environment: we can gather an elevated number of participants and generate a large quantity of data. Methods: This study adopted an emotional perspective to analyze the interactions among 794 adolescents dealing with a sexting case on an online interaction platform designed to generate group answers resulting from a certain degree of achieved consensus. Results: Our results show that emotional responses evolve over time in several phases of interaction. From the onset, the emotional dimension predicts how individual responses will evolve, particularly in the final consensus phase. Discussion: Responses gradually become more emotionally complex; participants tend to identify themselves with the victim in the test case while increasingly rejecting the aggressors.

Autonomic Nervous System Measurement in Hyperbaric Environments Using ECG and PPG Signals.

The main aim of this paper was to characterize the Autonomic Nervous System response in hyperbaric environments using electrocardiogram (ECG) and pulse-photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals. To that end, 26 subjects were introduced into a hyperbaric chamber and five stages with different atmospheric pressures (1 atm; descent to 3 and 5 atm; ascent to 3 and 1 atm) were recorded. Respiratory information was extracted from the ECG and PPG signals and a combined respiratory rate was studied. This information was also used to analyze Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Pulse Rate Variability (PRV). The database was cleaned by eliminating those cases where the respiratory rate dropped into the low frequency band (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) and those in which there was a discrepancy between the respiratory rates estimated using the ECG and PPG signals. Classical temporal and frequency indices were calculated in such cases. The ECG results showed a time-related dependency, with the heart rate and sympathetic markers (normalized power in LF and LF/HF ratio) decreasing as more time was spent inside the hyperbaric environment. A dependence between the atmospheric pressure and the parasympathetic response, as reflected in the high-frequency band power (HF: 0.15-0.40 Hz), was also found, with power increasing with atmospheric pressure. The combined respiratory rate also reached a maximum in the deepest stage; thus, highlighting a significant difference between this stage and the first one. The PPG data gave similar findings and also allowed the oxygen saturation to be computed; therefore, we propose the use of this signal for future studies in hyperbaric environments.

Effectiveness of relaxation techniques before diagnostic screening of cancer patients / Efectividad de las técnicas de relajación en oncología antes de realizar pruebas diagnósticas en neuroimagen

Psychophysiological arousal was observed in cancer patients during the application of relaxation techniques prior to a diagnostic scan (PET-CT). The aim of the study is two fold: firstly, it is sought to establish whether such techniques can minimize patient arousal before diagnostic screening begins, and secondly to measure which of them are most effective. The dependent variable is electrodermal activity, recording the attentional level and emotional response, and the independent variable comprises the relaxation techniques used, namely Jacobson, breathing and visualization. The 39 patients were split into experimental groups to whom the relaxation techniques (Jacobson, breathing exercises, and visualization) were applied before they went for the PET-CT. An activity-module procedure was applied to track electrodermal activity during the relaxation sessions, consisting of instructions, time out; wait, task; relaxation and end of the recording session. The control group received no relaxation techniques before the PET-CT. Session-end results show that patients who perform relaxation techniques achieve greater attentional focus using Jacobs on’stechnique(M= .212) and enhanced emotional containment using visualization (M= .206). It is concluded that relaxation techniques minimize the state of activation during the waiting period before a diagnostic scan.

Se registra la activación psicofisiológica en pacientes oncológicos durante la aplicación de técnicas de relajación antes de someterse a una prueba diagnóstica (TEP-TAC). Se plantea un doble objetivo: primero, comprobar si dichas técnicas minimizan el estado de activación de los pacientes antes de realizar pruebas diagnósticas, y en segundo lugar, medir cuáles de estas son más efectivas para relajarse. La variable dependiente es la actividad electrodérmica, registrando el nivel atencional y la respuesta emocional, y la variable independiente son las técnicas de relajación de Jacobson, de respiración y de visualización. Se distribuyen los pacientes (n = 39) en 3 grupos experimentales y se les aplican las técnicas antes de realizar el TEP-TAC: Jacobson, respiración y visualización. Se utiliza un procedimiento para el registro de la actividad electrodérmica durante la relajación por módulos de actividad: instrucciones, tiempo muerto; espera, tarea; relajación, y fin del registro. El grupo control no recibe relajación antes del TEP-TAC. Los resultados indican que los pacientes que realizan relajación consiguen mayor focalización atencional con Jacobson (M = .212) y mayor contención emocional con la visualización (M = .206). Se concluye que las técnicas de relajación minimizan el estado de activación durante el periodo de espera antes de una prueba diagnóstica.