Assessment of Psychophysiological Responses to Sensory Stimuli

Abstract

Non-invasive methods for investigating physiological responses to sensory stimuli give insights into the inner experience and behaviour control mechanisms of humans. The advantage of such measures is their implicit nature, meaning that they are automatic, not controlled by will and do not use introspective self-reports using verbal description. Responses of the autonomic nervous system, like cardiac reactions, skin conductance and pupil dilation, serve as indicators of arousal and cognitive or emotional load. Eye movements can be characterised by eye-tracking methods, thus contributing to the explanation of visual attention and the development of food choice. Emotions are involved in the nutritional behaviour of everyday life and facial muscle reactions give insights into spontaneous emotional responses to food stimuli without any biasing question–answer situations. Brain imaging technology enables the study of several responses to food and sensory stimuli, like the individual’s hedonic experiences of wanting and liking, attention or emotions. These methods, their applications, findings, limitations, opportunities, and prospects are reviewed and discussed in this chapter.