Intraindividual Variability Matters for the Correspondence Between Subjective Arousal, Valence, and Physiological...

Area of Science:

• Psychophysiology
• Affective Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Affective experiences correlate with physiological changes, but debate exists on whether these responses are consistent (fingerprint hypothesis) or variable (populations hypothesis) within individuals.
• Understanding the relationship between subjective feelings and objective physiological measures is key to comprehending human emotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether similar affective experiences elicit comparable or distinct physiological responses.
• To examine the role of intraindividual variability in psychophysiological patterns of affect.

Main Methods:

• Reanalyzed data from two independent samples (N=695, N=64) using representational similarity analysis (RSA).
• Examined trial-by-trial similarity patterns of subjective valence and arousal alongside physiological measures (skin conductance responses [SCR] and startle blink responses).
• Assessed the modulation of these patterns by physiological intraindividual variability across passive viewing, listening, and imagery tasks.

Main Results:

• Disregarding intraindividual variability aligned with the fingerprint hypothesis, while considering it aligned with the populations hypothesis.
• Considering intraindividual variability provided a more accurate representation of SCR and startle patterns across individuals and tasks.
• Results indicated that similar affective experiences are associated with distinct physiological responses.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the notion that physiological responses to similar affective experiences are distinct rather than uniform.
• Emphasizes the critical importance of incorporating intraindividual variability in future research on emotion and physiology.
• Highlights the need for nuanced approaches to link physiological changes with conscious affective experiences.