Everything about Galvanic Skin Response totally explained
Galvanic skin response (GSR), also known as
electrodermal response (EDR),
psychogalvanic reflex (PGR), or
skin conductance response (SCR), is a method of measuring the
electrical resistance of the
skin. There has been a long history of electrodermal activity research, most of it dealing with spontaneous fluctuations. Most investigators accept the phenomenon without understanding exactly what it means. There is a relationship between sympathetic activity and emotional arousal, although one can't identify the specific emotion being elicited. The GSR is highly sensitive to emotions in some people. Fear, anger, startle response, orienting response and sexual feelings are all among the emotions which may produce similar GSR responses.
One branch of GSR explanation interprets GSR as an image of activity in certain parts of the body. The mapping of skin areas to
internal organs is usually based on
acupuncture point.
Practice
GSR is conducted by attaching two leads to the skin, and acquiring a base measure. Then, as the activity being studied is performed, recordings are made from the leads. There are two ways to perform a GSR - in active GSR,
current is passed through the body, with the resistance measured. In passive GSR, current generated by the body itself is measured.
History
GSR originated in the early
1900s. It was used for a variety of types of research in the
1960s through the late
1970s, with a decline in use as more sophisticated techniques (such as
EEG and
MRI) replaced it in many areas of psychological research. GSR still sees limited use today, as it's possible to use with low-cost hardware (
galvanometer).
Uses
GSR measurement is one component of
polygraph devices and is used in scientific research of emotional arousal.
E-meter which is being used by the
Church of Scientology also is based on GSR measurement.
GSR measurement is also becoming commonplace in
hypnotherapy and
psychotherapy practice where it can be used as a method of detecting depth of hypnotic trance prior to
suggestion therapy commencing. When traumatic material is experienced by the client (for example, during
hypnoanalysis), immediate changes in galvanic skin response can indicate that the client is experiencing emotional arousal. It is also used in
behavior therapy to measure physiological reactions such as fear.
Further Information
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