title: Autonomic specificity of discrete emotion and dimensions of affective space: a multivariate approach.
abstract: The present study addressed autonomic nervous system (ANS) patterning during experimentally manipulated emotion. Film clips previously shown to induce amusement, anger, contentment, disgust, fear and sadness, in addition to a neutral control film, were presented to 34 college-aged subjects while skin conductance, blood pressure and the electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded, as was self-reported affect. Both mean of and mean successive difference of heart period were derived from the ECG. Pattern classification analyses revealed emotion-specific autonomic patterning for all emotion conditions except disgust; all emotion conditions exhibited significant patterning using self-report. Discriminant function analysis was used to describe the location of discrete emotions within dimensional affective space using both self-report and ANS variables. Findings suggest that the dimensions of valence and activation portray the structure of self-reported emotion, but that valence is more accurately described as approach-withdrawal when applied to autonomic responses during discrete emotions. The findings provide further support for the existence of emotion-specific ANS activity, and are consistent with a hybrid discrete-dimensional model of affective space.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0436, USA. bhfried@vt.edu
authors.forename: Israel C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.forename: Bruce H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009040:Motion Pictures / Q000295:instrumentation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires