Sliders Rate Valence but not Arousal: Psychometrics of Self-Reported Emotion Assessment

Abstract

Emotional reactions are increasingly recognized as an important part of experiences with technology, and there is a need for rigorous investigation into the collection of self-reported emotional data. We examine the capture of continuous, quantitative, affective self-reports as a complement to existing methods of evaluating human-system or product interaction. This experiment investigated 12 participants' use of a single slider (for valence, from very negative to very positive) and two sliders (for valence and arousal) in response to approximately 45 minutes of a nature video. Individual differences and physiological data (heart rate variability and skin conductance) were recorded. Emotion ratings were significantly related to skin conductance, which both differed significantly across chapters with different video content. We observed a learning effect, where participants' response times to probe questions decreased across blocks. Cognitive load appeared higher in the two-slider condition, with a possibly larger learning effect, and significantly longer dwell times, when compared to one slider. Arousal self-ratings were contradicted by skin conductance measures. We conclude with recommendations concerning the use of sliders for assessment of emotional user experience.

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