Dynamics of subjective discomfort in motion sickness as measured with a magnitude estimation method

Eight subjects, wearing left-right vision reversing goggles, executed sequences of controlled active head movements to provoke motion sickness. Head movement sequences were interspaced with periods of eye closure and no head movement to permit partial remission of symptoms between sequences. Subjects reported the level of discomfort experienced by using a magnitude estimation technique derived from Stevens' (1957) ratio scaling method. Using this approach, we demonstrated that the time course of subjective discomfort exhibits a profile, similar in all our subjects, characterized by both fast and slow response components. The potential usefulness of magnitude estimation for research on the dynamic properties of the mechanism generating motion sickness symptoms is discussed.