Abstract
This study investigated the effects of different instructions on the subjective flow state and physiological responses induced by a mental arithmetic task. Eighteen male undergraduate students were asked to perform a mental arithmetic (MA) task for 15 min. They were given the following two conditions under which they performed: “self-paced (SELF)” and “Always do more calculations than in the previous line (FLOW).” Electrocardiograms (ECG) were recorded during the resting (REST) and the MA tasks. Low-frequency components (LF), high-frequency components (HF), and the LF/HF ratio of heart rate variability (HRV) were derived from ECGs. Skin gas from the back of the neck and left palm was monitored during the REST and the MA task. A flow-state scale was adopted to evaluate participants’ flow state during the task. NASA–Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was used to assess subjective mental workload. Results indicated that there were no significant differences in flow scores. The Pattern 1 response, in which the heart rate increased during the MA task, was observed under the FLOW condition. The results of HRV indices indicated that the LF and HF decreases were significantly decreased for the MA task during both conditions. There was no significant main interaction with conditions and blocks (resting period, task periods) found in physiological responses except for the LF/HF and skin gas. Therefore, although it was not possible to not induce the flow state by the task instructions, it was suggested that the heart rate responses induced by instructions might be more susceptible than other indices.
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Kuraoka, H., Hinoue, M. (2022). Effects of Different Instructions on Subjective Flow State and Physiological Responses Induced by the Same Mental Task. In: Kurosu, M., et al. HCI International 2022 - Late Breaking Papers. Design, User Experience and Interaction. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13516. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17615-9_39
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