title: A methodology to compensate for individual differences in psychophysiological assessment.
abstract: The main methodological drawback to use physiological measures as indicators of arousal is, the large interindividual variability of autonomic responses hindering the direct comparability, between individuals. The present methodology has been tested in two cohorts (n1=910, n2=845) of, pilot applicants during a selection procedure. Physiological data were obtained during two mentally, demanding tasks and during a Flight Simulator Test. Five typical Autonomic Response Patterns (ARP), were identified by cluster analyses. Autonomic spaces were constructed separately for each group of, subjects having the same typical ARP, on the basis of their normalized eigenvectors. The length of the, vector sum of scores on autonomic space dimensions provided an integral index for arousal, labeled, Psychophysiological Arousal Value (PAV). The PAV still reflected the changes in mental load during the, tests, but equalized physiological differences among ARP-groups. The results obtained in the first, cohort were verified in the second cohort.
authors: German Aerospace Center (DLR), Aerospace Medicine, Linder Höhe, D-51147 Köln-Porz, NRW, Germany. Electronic address: bernd.johannes@dlr.de.
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Johannes
authors: TNO Soesterberg, Priv.: Kolonieweg 16, 3768 EX Soest, The Netherlands.
authors: Anthony W K
authors: AW
authors: Gaillard
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013026:Space Flight; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autonomic response pattern; Autonomic space; Finger temperature; Heart rate; Individual differences; Pattern-specific integration; Pulse transit time; Skin conductance