Student Protocol

Introduction to Psychophysiology
In this experiment, you will use basic techniques to record psychophysiological measurements. You will
learn the principles behind the electrodermal response (EDR), respiratory rate, blood pressure, and
electromyography (EMG) and will learn how to analyze these measurements using the LabChart software.

Written by staff of ADInstruments.

Background
Psychophysiology is an old idea but a new science. It is a likely assumption that ever since man began to experiment
himself as an object of his own awareness he has had some intuitive notion that bodily changes were, in some
measure, related to his moods, his sentiments, his frustrations, his elations. How to relate these dual aspects of
human functioning has been a concern of philosopher-scientists throughout the course of intellectual history
(Greenfield & Sternbach, 1972).1

Psychophysiology is a branch of science that is concerned with the physiological bases of psychological
processes. This is different from physiological psychology which looks at the physiological mechanisms
that lead to psychological activity. Psychophysiologists typically measure skin conductance, or the
galvanic skin response (GSR), skin temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, muscle activity through
electromyograms (EMGs), eye movements through electrooculograms (EOGs), blood pressure, and
respiratory rate. Psychophysiologists used to focus on the systems innervated by the autonomic nervous
system but now are exploring brain activity by measuring evoked potentials (EPs), electroencephalograms
(EEGs), and using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Electrodermal response (EDR), sometimes called electrodermal activity (EDA), electrodermal level (EDL),
or skin conductance level (SCL), has been used as a psychophysiological measure ever since it was
popularized by Carl Jung in the early 20th century. Eccrine sweat glands, present on the palmar surfaces
of the hands and on the bottom of the feet, are innervated by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic
nervous system. These sweat glands are of particular interest to psychophysiologists because they
respond to a person’s mental state more than they do to an increase in temperature. These glands act
as variable resistors; as they fill with fluid, skin resistance decreases and skin conductance increases. It
is possible to measure skin conductance by placing two electrodes on the fingers or toes. Skin
conductance is expressed in microsiemens (µS), a common unit of conductance. You may have heard of
EDR called the galvanic skin response (GSR), but this is older terminology no longer used by researchers.

When we breathe, both the amplitude (air moved during each breath, or tidal volume) and the number of
breaths each minute are important. Respiratory rate is measured by counting the number of breaths
taken during a defined time, usually one minute. It is expressed as breaths per minute (BPM).
Traditionally, psychophysiologists have been more interested in the respiratory rate rather than the
amplitude. Both the rate and amplitude can be recorded with a respiratory belt; only the amplitude will
vary depending on the extent of diaphragmatic involvement. Therefore, using respiratory rate helps
minimize the error caused by different styles of breathing.

1
Greenfield, NS & Sternbach, RA. (1972). Handbook of Psychophysiology. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, Inc, cited in
Cacioppo JT, Tassinary LG, & Berntson GG, eds. (2007). Handbook of Psychophysiology, Third Edition. New York: Cambridge
University Press

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Introduction to Psychophysiology Student Protocol

Blood pressure traditionally is estimated using a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff connected to a
sphygmomanometer (Figure 1). Listening to the sounds of the body is referred to as auscultation. This
method of auscultation does not require a PowerLab. The cuff is placed on the upper arm and inflated to
a high enough pressure to stop arterial blood flow to the arm from the brachial artery; the high pressure
in the cuff collapses the artery. The pressure in the cuff is then released slowly. When the cuff pressure
begins to fall below the systolic pressure in the artery, blood begins to flow to the arm through the
partially collapsed artery. This flow is turbulent rather than streamlined and generates sounds called
Korotkoff sounds. When blood flow is first heard, the cuff pressure approximates systolic pressure. As
the cuff pressure continues to decrease and the artery regains its normal diameter, flow becomes
streamlined and the sounds become muffled and then disappear. The cuff pressure at the point of the
sound muffling and disappearing approximates diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is typically measured in
millimeters of mercury (mmHg), as mercury sphygmomanometers work the best.

Figure 1. Principle of Blood Pressure

Electromyography is a technique that measures the electrical activity of the skeletal muscles
and therefore reflects the activity of the nerves controlling them. The data recorded is an
electromyogram (EMG). There are two methods of recording: needle electrodes inserted through the
skin into the muscle, or electrodes placed on the skin surface. For most psychophysiology investigations,
surface EMG recording is satisfactory. The size and shape of the waveform measured provides
information about the ability of the muscle to respond when the nerves are stimulated. The EMG
provides a depiction of the timing and pattern of muscle activity during complex movements. The raw
surface EMG signal reflects the electrical activity of the muscle fibers active at that time. Motor units fire
asynchronously and it is sometimes possible, with exceedingly weak contractions, to detect the
contributions of individual motor units to the EMG signal. As the strength of the muscular contraction
increases, however, the density of action potentials increases and the raw signal at any time may
represent the electrical activity of perhaps thousands of individual fibers. Smoothing of the rectified
signal often provides a better indication of the extent of muscle activity. This is the “Integrated EMG”
channel. The EMG is measured in millivolts (mV).

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Required Equipment
LabChart software
PowerLab Data Acquisition Unit
GSR Amplifier
GSR Finger Electrodes
Respiratory Belt
Sphygmomanometer
Stethoscope
Blood Pressure Cuff
5 Lead Bio Amp Cable
Shielded Lead Wires (5 Snap-on)
Dry Earth Strap
Disposable Electrodes
Abrasive Gel or Pad
Gauze or cotton ball (or similar material)
Alcohol Swabs

Procedure & Analysis

Exercise 1: Skin Conductance
Equipment Setup
1. Make sure the PowerLab is turned off and the USB cable is connected to the computer.

2. The GSR Amplifier should already be connected to the back of the PowerLab and the 8-pin DIN cable
from the rear of the GSR Amplifier should be connected to the Input 1 Pod Port on the front panel of
the PowerLab (Figure 1). If this has not been done for you, notify your instructor.

3. Connect the red and black GSR Finger Electrodes to the front of the GSR Amplifier (Figure 1). Do not
attach the electrodes to the volunteer.

4. Turn on the PowerLab.

Note: The GSR Amplifier must be connected to the PowerLab before turning on the PowerLab.

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Figure 2. GSR Equipment Setup

Zeroing the GSR Amplifier

The GSR Amplifier must be zeroed before starting this exercise.

5. Launch LabChart and open the settings file “Skin Conductance Settings” from the Experiments
Gallery.

6. From the GSR Channel Function pop-up menu in Chart, select GSR Amplifier. A dialog will appear.

7. Make sure that the GSR finger electrodes are disconnected from the volunteer, and select Open
Circuit Zero in the GSR Amplifier dialog. During this time, have the volunteer wash and dry their
hands with a non-alcohol based product. Make sure they are completely dry before going to the next
step.

8. After performing the open circuit zero, attach the GSR electrodes to the volunteer as shown in Figure
3. Make sure that the volunteer removes any jewelry and has clean, dry hands.

Note: The value may not reach 0.00 µS. The value is fine as long as it is within ±0.10 µS.

9. Select Subject Zero in the GSR Amplifier dialog. Make sure the volunteer does not move. Wait
about one minute; when the value is close to zero, click Subject Zero again. Quickly click OK to
close the dialog and return to the Chart View.

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Figure 3. Placement of the GSR Electrodes on the Hand

Startle Response
1. Ask the volunteer to relax, place their hands in their lap, and close their eyes. Tell them to keep still
throughout the exercise, especially their arms and legs. Postural changes will cause noisy data.

2. Start recording. Add a comment with the volunteer’s name into the Chart View.

3. Record baseline skin conductance for at least one minute. When the recording becomes constant,
move on to the next step.

4. Prepare a comment with “startle.” Wait at least thirty seconds for the volunteer’s recording to
become constant again. One group member is now going to startle the volunteer. Clap your hands
as loudly as possible behind the volunteer’s head. Make sure the volunteer is still closing their eyes.
As soon as the group member claps their hands, another group member should press Return/Enter to
add the comment.

5. Continue to record the data for one minute and press Stop. Save your data.

6. Turn off the PowerLab and remove the GSR Finger Electrodes from the volunteer. Remove the
electrodes from the Input 1 Pod Port, but do not disconnect the GSR Amplifier from the back of the
PowerLab.

Analysis
1. Look at the data trace. What happens to skin conductance immediately after the startle? What
happens to the skin conductance response about two seconds later?

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Introduction to Psychophysiology Student Protocol

Exercise 2: Respiratory Rate

Equipment Setup
1. Connect the Respiratory Belt to the Input 1 Pod Port on the front of the PowerLab and turn it on
(Figure 4). The hardware needs to be connected before you open the settings file.

2. Attach the Respiratory Belt around the volunteer’s upper abdomen with the writing facing outward.
It can be worn over a thin T-shirt; if the volunteer is wearing heavy clothing, such as a sweater, it
needs to be removed. Refer to Figure 4 for proper placement.

3. Open the settings file “Respiration Settings.” Make sure the data from Exercise 1 has been saved. In
the settings file, Channel 2 is off and will not record any data. It will be used later in the experiment.

Figure 4. Respiratory Belt and PowerLab Set-up

Breathing
1. Have the volunteer face away from the monitor, relax, and begin breathing normally.

2. Start recording and add a comment with the volunteer’s name. Record baseline breathing for at
least one minute.

3. Prepare a comment with “rapid breathing.” Tell the volunteer to begin breathing rapidly. Add the
comment as soon as they begin. Continue for about twenty seconds (if possible). Add a comment
with “normal breathing” when they begin to breathe normally.

Note: If the volunteer is having trouble breathing rapidly, tell them to breathe normally and move on to
the next step.

4. After breathing becomes regular again (about one minute), prepare a comment with “inhale.” Tell
the volunteer to take a deep breath in and hold it for as long as possible. Add the comment when
they begin. Prepare a comment with “breathe,” and add the comment when the volunteer begins
to breathe normally.

5. Wait for breathing to return to normal. Repeat step 4, but instead of inhaling and holding, the
volunteer should exhale and hold.

6. Record normal breathing for one minute and stop. Save your data.

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Introduction to Psychophysiology Student Protocol

Analysis
At this point, you have recorded breathing, not respiratory rate. You will add a calculation to the
LabChart software to see a recording of respiratory rate.

1. Go to the Channel Function pop-up menu for Channel 2 and select Cyclic Measurements.

2. In the dialog box, set the Source to “Ch1: Respiration,” Measurement to “Rate,” and Detection
Settings to “Respiration-Respiratory Belt.” Make sure all the peaks have been detected by the event
markers. Refer to Figure 5 for to see a dialog box with the correct settings.

Figure 5. Cyclic Measurements Dialog Box

The recording in Channel 2 is respiratory rate. Note the units of the channel are in BPM, the unit of
respiratory rate.

3. Look at the respiratory rate throughout the recording. How does rapid breathing, inhalation, and
exhalation affect respiratory rate?

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Study Questions
1. What is psychophysiology? What are typical psychophysiological measurements?

2. If the volunteer’s skin conductance increased after the startle response, what does this
say about their sweat glands in terms of conductance and resistance?

3. What is the difference between respiration, or breathing, and respiratory rate? Why do
you think you use respiratory rate instead of respiration?

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