• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2018

Stress involves changes in behavior, autonomic function and the secretion of hormones. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) contributes to physiological adaptive process in short durations. In particular, heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is commonly used as a quantitative marker depicting the ANS activity related to mental stress. The aim of this study is to investigate correlations between psychological responses to stress and HRV indices induced by the cognitive stressor. Thirty-three participants rated their mental and physical symptoms occurred during the past two weeks on Stress Response Inventory (SRI), which is composed of seven stress factors that may influence the status of mental stress levels. Then, they underwent the psychophysiological procedures, which are collected electrocardiogram (ECG) signals during a cognitive stress task. HRV indices, the standard deviation of R-R interval (SDNN), root mean square of successive R-R interval difference (RMSSD) and low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio were extracted from ECG signals. Physiological responses were calculated stress responses by subtracting mean of the baseline from the mean of recovery. Stress factors such as tension, aggression, depression, fatigue, and frustration were positively correlated to HRV indices. In particular, aggression had significant positive correlations to SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF ratio. Increased aggressive responses to stress correlated with the increases of all HRV indices. This means the increased autonomic coactivation. Additionally, tension, depression, fatigue, and frustration were positively associated with RMSSD reflecting increases in parasympathetic activation. The autonomic coactivation may represent an integrated response to specific cognitive reactions such as the orienting response.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.29-40
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• 2000

Autonomic and EEG responses were analyzed in 32 college students exposed to visual stimulation with Korean Affective Picture System (KAPS) and 36 students exposed to the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Cardiac, electrodermal, and electrocortical measures were recorded during 30 sec of viewing affective pictures. The slides intended to elicit basic emotions (fear, anger, surprise, disgust, and sadness) were presented to subjects via Kodak slide-projector. The aim of the study was to differentiate autonomic and EEG responses associated with the same negative valence emotions elicited by KAPS and IAPS stimulation and to identify the influence of cultural relevance on physiological reactivity. The analysis of obtained results revealed significant differences in physiological responsiveness to emotionally negative valence slides from KAPS and IAPS. The typical response profile for all emotions elicited by the KAPS included HR acceleration (except surprise), and increase of electrodermal activity, slow and fast alpha blocking and fast beta power increase in EEG, which was not associated with significant asymmetry (except fast alpha in sadness). Stimulation with the IAPS evoked HR deceleration, specific electrodermal responses with relatively high tonic electrodermal activation, alpha-blocking and fast beta increase, and was accompanied also by theta power increase and marked frontal asymmetry (e.g., fast beta, theta asymmetries in sadness, fast alpha in fear). Physiological responses to fear and anger-eliciting slides from the IAPS were significantly less profound and were accompanied by autonomic and EEG changes more typical for attention rather than negative affect. Higher cardiovascular and electrodermal reactivity to fear emotion observed in the KAPS, e.g., as compared to data with the IAPS as stimuli, can be explained by cultural relevance and higher effectiveness of the KAPS in producing certain emotions such as fear in Koreans.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.216-221
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• 1999

A mental task combined with noise background is an effective model of laboratory stress for study of psychophysiology of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The intensity of the background noise significantly affects both a subjective evaluation of experienced stress level during test and the physiological responses associated with mental load in noisy environments. Providing tests of similar difficulties we manipulated the background noise intensity as a main factor influencing a psychophysiological outcome and the analyzed reactivity along withe the noise intensity dimension. The goal of this study was to identify the patterns of ANS responses and the relevant subjective stress scores during performance of word recognition tasks on the background of white noise (WN) of the different intensities (55, 70 and 85 dB). Subjects were 27 college students (19-24 years old). BIOPAC, Grass Neurodata System and AcqKnowlwdge 3.5 software were used to record ECG, PPG, SCL, skin temperature, and respiration. Experimental manipulations were effective in producing subjective and physiological responses usually associated with stress. The results suggested that the following potential autonomic mechanisms might be involved in the mediation of the observed physiological responses: A sympathetic activation with parasympathetic withdrawal during mild 55 and 70dB noise (featured by similar profiles) and simultaneous activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems during intense 85dB WN. The parasympathetic activation in this case might be a compensatory effect directed to prevent sympathetic domination and to maintain optimal arousal state for the successful performance on mental stress task. It should be mentioned that obtained results partially support Gellhorn's (1960; 1970) "tuning phenomenon" as a possible mechanism underlying stress response.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 2015

Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is a compensatory response of the extraocular muscles generated by vestibular signals to stabilize images on the retina during head/body movements. It has been reported that mismatches between retinal and vestibular information, which cause motion sickness or cybersickness, modify VOR. To investigate the characteristic changes of VOR in subjects experiencing cybersickness, we developed a low-cost, multi-purpose VOR measurement system using LabVIEW and Arduino. To test the applicability of the system, we performed two experiments. In Experiment 1, horizontal and vertical VORs of four participants were measured using a vestibular autorotation task. In Experiment 2, eight participants were exposed to a virtual navigation to measure changes of VORs as an index of cybersickness. We observed significantly greater head rotations and eye movements while the participants were exposed to the virtual navigation than to a static image. The results suggest that the present system can help understand the psychophysiological mechanisms of cybersickness symptoms.