Human Factors: Physiological Signals Enhance Ergonomics Research
Ergonomics plays a role in almost every aspect of human interaction with the world around us—how we work, entertain ourselves, rest, and relax. Simply put, ergonomics (sometimes termed “human factors and ergonomics” or simply “human factors”) refers to the way in...
Silent Partner: Autonomic Function Testing in Research
Like the inner workings of an intricate machine, most of our bodily functions operate with little or no conscious effort. That task falls to the autonomic nervous system, a sort of control system that regulates a wide range of processes, including digestion, heart...
Measuring Moods: Signals for Insight into Emotion
“Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?” Joy, an anthropomorphized manifestation of happiness, delivers this line at the opening of Pixar’s 2015 animated hit “Inside Out,” a film that explores the emotional struggles of its young...
Baby Blues: Neonatal, Infant, and Toddler Research Challenges
The first five years of a child’s life are marked by considerable change—both physiological and psychological. Young children undergo incremental development in their ability to think and solve problems, their emotions, and their linguistic abilities, to name just a...
Choosing the Right Signal: Easy as 1, 2, 3
In physiology and life sciences, researchers rely on a wide range of signals to gather data from humans and animals. These signals provide critical insight into how complex organisms function under a myriad of conditions. However, this wealth of potential data sources can also present a challenge for researchers: choosing the right signals on which to focus their data gathering. For those lacking a background in the disciplines and mechanisms behind these signals, sifting through the available methodology can be overwhelming. The best place to begin is by considering one or a combination of the “Big Three” physiological signals: ECG, EDA, and respiration.
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