Contributions of Psychophysiology to Media Research: Review and Recommendations

Despite the increasing use of psychophysiological measures in various research areas, there is a relative paucity of studies on communication, media, and media interfaces that have taken advantage of this approach. This article provides an overview of the use of psychophysiological measures of attention and emotion in media research with the focus on 3 most commonly used measures: heart rate, facial electromyography, and electrodermal activity. Selected media studies that have used psychophysiological methods to test theory-based predictions regarding the role of attentional and emotional factors in message processing are critically reviewed. The article also highlights some methodological and other issues critical for the successful application of psychophysiological methods to problems in media research. In particular, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a selective index of parasympathetic nervous system activity, is introduced as a measure that holds particular promise for media research, given that RSA is highly sensitive to changes in attention.