The Autonomic Nervous System Response Inventory (ANSRI): prediction of psychophysiological response

An experiment was conducted to test the validity of the ANSRI by determining whether self-report of physiological response to emotion-provoking imagery could predict individuals' patterns of physiological response to the same imagery. Fifty two undergraduate volunteers completed the ANSRI and, 2 weeks later, reconstructed their original imagery (fear, anger, sadness, joy, activity situations) while seven physiological response systems were recorded polygraphically. The ANSRI scales for a condition (e.g. fear) were entered as predictors of each electrophysiological measure recorded under that condition in Stepwise Multiple Regression Analyses. Forty-nine percent of the analyses were statistically significant (mean R = 0.52; 27% of the variance). Every electrophysiological variable was significantly predicted by the ANSRI's scales under at least one imagery condition, or by using the mean response to items across the five conditions. Cardiovascular, respiration and electrodermal measures were predicted best. Every ANSRI P scale corresponding to an electrophysiological measure was a major variable in the significant prediction of that measure in at least one condition.