Dermal response system

From EuroVR Knowledge Base

Description

Both electrodermal and photoplethysmographic (next to systemic cardiovascular effects) reactivity represent the activity of the dermal response system. Measurement of electrodermal activity (EDA) record changes in the electrical conductance of the skin, generally from the fingers or palms and is considered as a measure of the state of a human’s interaction with his environment. This concept covers both emotional (affective) and cognitive (orienting processing, locomotion) response (Kilpatrick, 1972; Boucsein and Thum 1996). It is often used as an indicator of stress and strain, and so in an indirect way it is used as a measurement of, for example, presence in stressful VEs (Meehan et al., 2001).

Primary Reference or Source

• Mager, R., Stoermer, R., Schaerli, H., Estoppey, K.H., Bullinger, A.H., Patel, H., Stedmon, A., Nichols, S.C., D’Cruz, M. (2003). Usability test-battery manual. Deliverable for the European Commission, IST Project VIEW of the Future, IST-2000-26089;
• Meehan, M., Insko, B., Whitton, M., & Brooks, F. P. (2001). Physiological measures of presence in virtual environments. In Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on Presence. Philadelphia, USA.