Integrating Self-Report and Psychophysiological Measures in Waterpipe Tobacco Message Testing: A Novel Application of Multi-Attribute Decision Modeling

Background: Waterpipe (i.e., hookah) tobacco smoking (WTS) is one of the most prevalent types of smoking among young people, yet there is little public education communicating the risks of WTS to the population. Using self-report and psychophysiological measures, this study proposes an innovative message testing and data integration approach to choose optimal content for health communication messaging focusing on WTS. Methods: In a two-part study, we tested 12 WTS risk messages. Using crowdsourcing, participants (N = 713) rated WTS messages based on self-reported receptivity, engagement, attitudes, and negative emotions. In an in-lab study, participants (N = 120) viewed the 12 WTS risk messages while being monitored for heart rate and eye-tracking, and then completed a recognition task. Using a multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) model, we integrated data from these two methods with scenarios assigning different weights to the self-report and laboratory data to identify optimal messages. Results: We identified different optimal messages when differently weighting the importance of specific attributes or data collection method (self-report, laboratory). Across all scenarios, five messages consistently ranked in the top half: four addressed harms content, both alone and with themes regarding social use and flavors and one addiction alone message. Discussion: Results showed that the self-report and psychophysiological data did not always have the same ranking and differed based on weighting of the two methods. These findings highlight the need to formatively test messages using multiple methods and use an integrated approach when selecting content.

Mixed reality or LEGO game play? Fostering social interaction in children with Autism

This study extends the previous research in which it has been shown that a mixed reality (MR) system fosters social interaction behaviours (SIBs) in children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). When comparing this system to a LEGO-based non-digital intervention, it has been observed that an MR system effectively mediates a face-to-face play session between a child with ASC and a child without ASC providing new specific advantageous properties (e.g. not being a passive tool, not needing to be guided by the therapist). Considering the newly collected multimodal data totaling to 72 children (36 trials of dyads, child with ASC/child without ASC), a first goal of the present study is to apply detailed statistical inference and machine learning techniques to extensively evaluate the overall effect of this MR system, when compared to the LEGO condition. This goal also includes the analysis of psychophysiological data and allows the context-driven triangulation of the multimodal data which is operationalized by (i) video-coding of SIBs, (ii) psychophysiological data, and (iii) system logs of user-system events. A second goal is to show how SIBs, taking place in these experiences, are influenced by the internal states of the users and the system. SIBs were measured by video-coding overt behaviours (Initiation, Response and Externalization) and with self-reports. Internal states were measured using a wearable device designed by the FuBIntLab (Full-Body Interaction Lab) to acquire: Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) data. Affective sliders and State Trait Anxiety Scale questionnaires were used as self-reports. Repeated-measures design was chosen with two conditions, the MR environment and the traditional therapy LEGO. The results show that the MR system has a positive effect on SIBs when compared to the LEGO condition, with an added advantage of being more flexible.

Neuroorganoleptics: Organoleptic Testing Based on Psychophysiological Sensing

There is an increasing interest, in consumer behaviour research related to food and beverage, in taking a step further from the traditional self-report questionnaires and organoleptic properties assessment. With the growing availability of psychophysiological data acquisition devices, and advancements in the study of the underlying signal sources seeking affective state assessment, the use of psychophysiological data analysis is a natural evolution in organoleptic testing. In this paper we propose a protocol for what can be defined as neuroorganoleptic analysis, a method that combines traditional approaches with psychophysiological data acquired during sensory testing. Our protocol was applied to a case study project named MobFood, where four samples of food were tested by a total of 83 participants, using preference and acceptance tasks, across three different sessions. Best practices and lessons learned regarding the laboratory setting and the acquisition of psychophysiological data were derived from this case study, which are herein described. Preliminary results show that certain Heart Rate Variability (HRV) features have a strong correlation with the preferences self-reported by the participants.

Methods and Experiments for Sensing Variations in Solar Activity and Defining Their Impact on Heart Variability

This paper evaluates variations in solar activity and their impact on the human nervous system, including the manner in which human behavior and decision-making reflect such effects in the context of (symmetrical) social interactions. The relevant research showed that solar activity, manifesting itself through the exposure of the Earth to charged particles from the Sun, affects heart variability. The evaluation methods focused on examining the relationships between selected psychophysiological data and solar activity, which generally causes major alterations in the low-level electromagnetic field. The investigation within this paper revealed that low-level EMF changes are among the factors affecting heart rate variability and, thus, also variations at the spectral level of the rate, in the VLF, (f = 0.01–0.04 Hz), LF (f = 0.04–0.15 Hz), and HF (f = 0.15 až 0.40 Hz) bands. The results of the presented experiments can also be interpreted as an indirect explanation of sudden deaths and heart failures.

A Translational Perspective of Maternal Immune Activation by SARS-CoV-2 on the Potential Prenatal Origin of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Role of the Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway

The emergent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could produce a maternal immune activation (MIA) via the inflammatory response during gestation that may impair fetal neurodevelopment and lead to postnatal and adulthood mental illness and behavioral dysfunctions. However, so far, limited evidence exists regarding long-term physiological, immunological, and neurodevelopmental modifications produced by the SARS-CoV-2 in the human maternal-fetal binomial and, particularly, in the offspring. Relevant findings derived from epidemiological and preclinical models show that a MIA is indeed linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. We hypothesize that a gestational infection triggered by SARS-CoV-2 increases the risks leading to neurodevelopmental disorders of the newborn, which can affect childhood and the long-term quality of life. In particular, disruption of either the maternal or the fetal cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) could cause or exacerbate the severity of COVID-19 in the maternal-fetal binomial. From a translational perspective, in this paper, we discuss the possible manifestation of a MIA by SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders considering the role of the fetal-maternal cytokine cross-talk and the CAP. Specifically, we highlight the urgent need of preclinical studies as well as multicenter and international databanks of maternal-fetal psychophysiological data obtained pre-, during, and post-infection by SARS-CoV-2 from pregnant women and their offspring.

Physiological Correlates of Processing Health-Related Information: An Idea for the Adoption of a Foreign Field

Measuring health may refer to the measurement of general health status through measures of physical function, pain, social health, psychological aspects, and specific disease. Almost no evidence is available on the possible interaction of physiological measures and correlating emotional–affective states that are triggered by dealing with individual health-relevant issues and their specific processing modes. Public health research has long been concerned with the processing of health-related information. However, it is not yet clear which factors influence access and the handling of health-related information in detail. One way to close this research gap could be adopting methods from neurocognitive experiments to add psychophysiological data to existing approaches in health-related research. In this article, we present some of these methods and give a narrative overview and description of their usefulness for enlarged research in public health.

Developing tolerance to eye contact in autism: A feasibility study with adults using behavioral, interview, and psychophysiological data

Many individuals with autism report that eye contact makes them stressed or uncomfortable. Besides expressing their right to respect for neurodiverse ways of nonverbal communication, some autistic individuals also express the wish to improve their capacity to tolerate eye contact. In the current study, five autistic adults completed a 21- to 28-day computerized program that combines psychoeducation with graduated exposure to eye contact through photos. Interview data, questionnaires, gaze patterns, and psychophysiological measures indexing stress and arousal (pupillary and galvanic skin response levels) were collected to monitor and evaluate outcomes. At intake, discomfort resulting from eye contact in everyday life was described as overwhelming and multifaceted. Post-training data showed that observed increases in eye contact were not happening at the expense of heightened arousal. These results provide information about the (complex) nature of eye gaze discomfort in autism while pointing toward promising techniques to increase discomfort tolerance.