Autonomic Nervous System Activity During a Speech Task

Area of Science:

• Psychophysiology
• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Speech and Communication Studies

Background:

• Coping strategies (active vs. passive) are task-dependent.
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses vary with different psychological loads.
• Speech tasks can induce stress and elicit specific physiological reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses during a speech task requiring active coping.
• To analyze sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activation using Lorenz plot analysis.
• To determine if silent reading or reading aloud differentially impacts ANS activity.

Main Methods:

• Employed Lorenz plot analysis to assess ANS responses.
• Recorded physiological data across three phases: resting, silent reading, and reading aloud.
• Collected subjective ratings of arousal, valence, and mood post-reading phases.

Main Results:

• Cardiac sympathetic index (CSI) significantly increased during reading aloud compared to silent reading.
• Cardiac vagal index (CVI) significantly increased during reading aloud compared to resting.
• No significant ANS differences were found between resting and silent reading phases.
• Subjective arousal levels were significantly higher after reading aloud.

Conclusions:

• Silent reading is insufficient for activating the sympathetic nervous system.
• Reading aloud effectively activates both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
• Increased parasympathetic activity during reading aloud may be linked to respiratory changes, particularly expiration.