Can arousal be distilled down to a

purely objective physiological

phenomenon or will its subjective
nature always play a significant role in
how we perceive and experience it?
Electrodermal Activity

08/30/2023
Agenda
● Ch. 13 Electrodermal Activity
● Muddiest points about Biopac overview
● Thursday Lab Preparation
●
Lessons Learned from the DMDX Lab
 Electrodermal
Activity (EDA)

Evans, W. A. (1912). How to keep well. The Dental Register, 66(9), 456.
Long history as a psychophysiological measure
Sensitive to emotional arousal:
● detects unconscious complexes (Jung, 1907)
● Lie detection
Responsive to cognitive activity
● Attention & novelty
Speculation on functional evolutionary value
(Darrow, 1933; Edelberg, 1973):
● Fine motor control: ↑tactile sensitivity, ↓friction
& vulnerability to abrasion
● Promotes locomotion & fleeing through
thermoregulation
Terminology
● Skin conductance (SC) was formerly called
the “galvanic skin response” (GSR)
○ resistance changes to small external current

applied to skin

○ Tonic: skin conductance level (SCL)

○ Phasic: skin conductance response (SCR)
Cacioppo, J. T., Tassinary, L. G., & Berntson, G. (Eds.). (2007). Handbook of psychophysiology. Cambridge university press.
Cacioppo, J. T., Tassinary, L. G., & Berntson, G. (Eds.). (2007). Handbook of psychophysiology. Cambridge university press.
Cacioppo, J. T., Tassinary, L. G., &
Berntson, G. (Eds.). (2007). Handbook of
psychophysiology. Cambridge university
press.
Thursday Lab Preparation
● Each student will submit 1 DMDX azk file and 1 csv
file with their electrodermal responses

● Lab instructions and files will be available on canvas

under lab files
Use biopac to open the downloaded gtl file

eda_orienting_lab_08292023.gtl
Review item file
picture_arousal_test_08292023d.rtf

<azk> <cr> <nfb> <fd 60> <d 60> <dfs 24> <vm
desktop> <t 5000> <ro 50,0> <id pio12> <dbc
000000000> <dwc 255255255> <id keyboard> <s 40>
</ep>
$
50 <ox 1> <msfd 5000> "This item triggers the biopac recording to
start." /;
0 "Press the spacebar if the signal looks good." ;
90 <msfd 5000> "In this task, you are going to see pictures." /;
91 <msfd 5000> "After each picture, you will respond whether the
picture is arousing or not." /;
92 <msfd 5000> "Press the right shift key if you think the picture is
arousing." /;
93 <msfd 5000> "Press the left shift key if you do not think the
picture is arousing." /;
0 "Press the spacebar when you are ready to start" ;
$
-101 <ox 1> <jpg> "average_iaps" / <ox 2> <jpg>
"7010" / <ox 4> <jpg> "7010" / <ox 8> <jpg>
"7010" / <ox 10> <jpg> "7010" / <ox 20> <jpg>
"7010" / <ox 40> <jpg> "7010" / <msfd 5000> *
"Do you think the picture is arousing?" /;

+201 <ox 1> <jpg> "average_iaps" / <ox 2> <jpg>

"5080" / <ox 4> <jpg> "5080" / <ox 8> <jpg>
"5080" / <ox 10> <jpg> "5080" / <ox 20> <jpg>
"5080" / <ox 40> <jpg> "5080" / <msfd 5000> *
"Do you think the picture is arousing?" /;
$
777 "THANK YOU!" <line -2>, "Press escape and YES to saving the data." <line 2> ;
$