Kari Kallinen

Phasic Emotional Reactions to Video Game Events: A Psychophysiological Investigation

We examined emotional valence- and arousal-related phasic psychophysiological responses to different video game events among 36 young adults who played Super Monkey Ball 2 (Sega Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). Event-related changes in zygomaticus major, corrugator supercilii, and orbicularis oculi electromyographic activity, skin conductance level, and cardiac interbeat intervals were recorded. Instantaneous game events elicited reliable psychophysiological responses indexing valence and arousal. A largely linear, positive dose-response relationship between rewards obtained in the game and phasic increases in arousal was revealed. The valence of the emotional response varied as a function of the players active participation (active coping). In addition, not only positive events, but also some putatively negative events elicited positively valenced arousal. The findings extend our understanding of the phasic changes in the emotional state during video games and a dynamic flow of events and action and may have several applied implications (e.g., for game design).

Emotion perceived and emotion felt: Same and different

Abstract The goal of the present study was to examine the relationships and differences between emotion perceived (i.e., the emotional quality expressed by music) and emotion felt (i.e., the individuals emotional response to music). Thirty-two participants listened to 12 music pieces differing in terms of a priori basic emotional quality, and rated the music from two points of view (i.e., emotion felt and emotion perceived) using 16 adjectives from dimensional models of emotion. As expected, in general, music seemed to arouse emotions similar to the emotional quality perceived in music. However, the affect ratings were significantly moderated by the point of view from which the emotions were assessed. Felt emotions were stronger than perceived emotions in connection with pleasure, but weaker in connection with arousal, positive activation, and negative activation. As also expected, negative perceived quality in music elicited less or an opposite felt emotion. That is, fearful music was perceived as negative but felt as positive.

Comparing speakers versus headphones in listening to news from a computer : individual differences and psychophysiological responses

Abstract When audio is listened with speakers, the sound comes from a distance. With headphones, the surrounds are more isolated and the sound comes closer to the listener, and may thus create a more intimate and immersive listening experience. We examined the emotion-related subjective and psychophysiological responses elicited when listening news from a computer with speakers versus headphones, and the individual differences in these responses. Self-reported preference, valence, arousal, and understandability of the news, as well as electrodermal activity (EDA), pulse transit time (PTT), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and facial electromyography (EMG), were measured. Headphone listening was preferred over speaker listening, and it elicited more positive emotional responses as indexed by orbicularis oculi and zygomaticus major EMG activity, and higher attention as indexed by shorter PTTs, than speaker listening. However, speaker listening prompted more attention as indexed by RSA among subjects scoring high on the sociability and activity personality scales. Speaker listening also elicited higher physiological arousal as indexed by EDA among high impulsive-sensation seeking and sensation-seeking scorers. The results are discussed from the interpersonal distance and isolation of the surrounds point of view. The present results are of practical importance, given the possibilities afforded by modern technology to present multimodal information effectively and adapt the information and/or interfaces to fit the individual characteristics of the user (e.g., personality).

Suboptimal exposure to facial expressions when viewing video messages from a small screen: effects on emotion, attention, and memory.

The authors examined the effects of suboptimally presented facial expressions on emotional and attentional responses and memory among 39 young adults viewing video (business news) messages from a small screen. Facial electromyography (EMG) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were used as physiological measures of emotion and attention, respectively. Several congruency priming effects were found. In particular, happy facial primes prompted increased (a) pleasure ratings, (b) orbicularis oculi EMG activity, (c) perceived trustworthiness, and (d) recognition memory for video messages with a positive emotional tone. Emotional and other responses to video messages presented on a small screen can be modified with suboptimal affective primes, but even small differences in the emotional tone of the messages should be allowed for.

The Role of Mood in the Processing of Media Messages From a Small Screen: Effects on Subjective and Physiological Responses

We examined the effects of mood and the content (a priori valence and involvement) and formal (presentation modality: text vs. video) characteristics of messages presented on a small screen on emotional responses and involvement among 47 young adults. Mood was induced by autobiographical memories varying in affective valence and arousal. Facial electromyography (EMG) and cardiac interbeat intervals were used as physiological indexes of valence and arousal. Both mood and the emotional tone of a message exerted an independent influence on the emotional response to the message. A strong valence-related mood-congruency effect emerged in predicting involvement. The text modality elicited higher involvement, arousal ratings, and orbicularis oculi EMG activity compared to the video modality when in a depressed mood, whereas the reverse was true when in a joyful, relaxed, or fearful mood. The results point to the possibility of mood-adapted media services.

Reading News from a Pocket Computer in a Distracting Environment: Effects of the Tempo of Background Music

Pocket computers are often used in environments were the user becomes exposed to distracting factors, such as background noise and moving objects. In this study, I examined the effects of background music on reading business news in a crowded cafeteria environment. Measures were taken regarding three reading conditions: (1) no background music, (2) fast music and (3) slow music. The results suggest that the reading condition significantly effects both the reading measures and the emotional evaluation of the news content. Men evaluated the news most positively in the slow music condition, whereas women evaluated the news most positively in the no-music condition. The reading rate and efficiency was significantly lower in the slow-music group than in the fast-music group. The results have several implications both on background music research and on use of background music in the news services, advertising and multimodal environments.

The effects of background music on using a pocket computer in a cafeteria: immersion, emotional responses, and social richness of medium

The focus of the present paper was to examine the effects of background music on using a pocket computer (i.e., reading entertainment news and making notes) in a noisy cafeteria environment. Music listening, as compared to using PDA without listening to music, prompted higher overall user satisfaction and immersion in media use, less boredom and more pleasure, and higher perceived social richness of the medium in terms of personality, liveliness, and emotionality. It was also found that PDA user experience and personality (i.e., impulsive-sensation seeking [ImpSS]) moderated some of these responses. The results are of importance given that the modern technology make it possible (1) to use computers in various everyday environments (e.g., in cafeterias and on business trips), and (2) to adapt the information and/or interfaces to fit the individual characteristics of the user.

A Mobile System and Application for Facilitating Emotional Awareness in Knowledge Work Teams

In this paper we present a prototype of a mobile system and application for enhancing emotional awareness in knowledge work teams. The prototype gathers emotional, social and informal information on a group of users explicitly and implicitly. The advantages of using the prototype are expected to be increased emotional awareness within group possibly leading to positive effects on group performance.

Effects of the rate of computer-mediated speech on emotion- related subjective and physiological responses

In this paper, we describe the results of a psychophysiological study on users judgements on, and physiological responses to, audio news, which were presented on computer with a fast and slow reading rate. Several effects of condition, age, gender, level of education and level of computer-user experience on the evaluation of the understandability, valence, arousal and interest of the news, as well as on electrodermal and facial muscle activity were found. For example, the fast news was judged as more arousing, but the slow news as more understandable. The younger subjects judged the fast news as more positive and interesting, whereas the opposite was true for older subjects. The results have several methodological and practical implications on presenting and studying speech information in computer systems, such as speech interfaces and news services, given the possibilities afforded by modern technology to present multimodal information effectively and adapt the information and/or interfaces to fit the characteristics of the user (e.g. age).

The Role of Personality in Emotional Responses to Music: Verbal, Electrocortical and Cardiovascular Measures

We examined whether personality, defined in terms of behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivities (Gray, 1982, 1991) and the Alternative Five personality dimensions (Zuckerman et al., 1993), moderates the influence of a music listening session comprising 12 music pieces, on the emotional state of an individual as assessed by self-report and psychophysiological measures in 32 participants. Electroencephalographic (EEG) and cardiovascular (inter-beat intervals and pulse transit time) activity was recorded continuously during a 60-s eyes-open and a 60-s eyes-closed resting periods before and after the music listening session. Participants rated their mood instantly after the pre-music and post-music rest periods. Self-report and cardiovascular measures indicated increased (positive) activation from pre- to post-music rest period, especially among subjects characterized by neuroticism (i.e., high BIS sensitivity) and anxiety (i.e., high Neuroticism-Anxiety) proneness. The increased activation during music was partially supported by decreased overall EEG (all sites) theta activation and by increased overall EEG alpha activation among high BIS scorers. It was also found that left temporal and eyes-closed parietal activation increased during music listening among high BIS sensitivity and high Neuroticism-Anxiety scorers.