ASMR-Experience Questionnaire (AEQ): A data-driven step towards accurately classifying ASMR responders.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a unique sensory experience characterized by tingling sensations and calmness.
• Existing tools lack the ability to accurately classify ASMR responders, non-responders, and false-positive cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel psychometric tool, the ASMR-Experiences Questionnaire (AEQ), for classifying ASMR response types.
• To differentiate between individuals who experience ASMR and those who do not, including those with similar sensory experiences.

Main Methods:

• Development of the online AEQ tool.
• Participants viewed ASMR videos and completed sensory-affective questionnaires.
• K-means clustering analysis was employed to identify distinct response groups based on tingle and affect scores.

Main Results:

• Five distinct data-driven groupings were identified using k-means clustering.
• ASMR responders were categorized into ASMR-Strong and ASMR-Weak groups based on propensity and intensity.
• Non-responders were classified into Control+ (positive valence), Control- (neutral/negative valence), and False-Positive groups.

Conclusions:

• The AEQ effectively classifies ASMR responders and non-responders, including false-positive cases.
• The identified groupings provide a framework for understanding variations in ASMR experiences.
• The AEQ offers a valuable tool for advancing ASMR research and understanding sensory processing differences.