**2.4. Result**

No statistical difference in age and gender existed whether in IA experiment or in IGD experiment. The consistency of CIAS scoring, IGD scoring, and emotional intensity among participants was tested, and results (Cronbach's alpha values) were acceptable [56]. Regarding the results of respiratory signals, the normalized power differences of high frequency (HF) and dominant frequency (DF) varied along different emotions. The HIA and the LIA groups also exhibited different normalized power differences among some emotions. Respiratory amplitude and frequency implied the emotional intensity of physiological reaction. In the HIA group, the power differences of DF in positive and negative emotional states were less consistent than those in the LIA group, and the trends of difference were almost opposite. The emotional effects on respiratory amplitude almost positively affected the HIA group but negatively affected the LIA group. The results of trends of respiratory power difference suggested that when HIA group in whether negative or positive emotional states, their thoracic movement was mainly responsible for respiratory regulation, whereas LIA group mainly used abdominal movement to regulate respiration [30]. Concerning the autonomic nervous response, the results of RSA and HRV indicated that the RSA base of the HIA group was lower than that of the LIA group. Hence, the HIA group did not tend to express positive emotions. They may express negative emotions rather than positive emotions, and did not suppress negative emotions [47, 48]. The RSA reactivity to positive emotions was not varied that much as that of negative emotions. The results of RSA reactivity of before and after emotional inductions were shown in **Table 3**. The summary result of emotional intensity, TAM and RSA reactivity in IA experiment was shown in **Table 4**.

The experimental result of IGD experiment indicated that the IGD & HIA group felt more positive emotion for online game films than the non-IGD & LIA group, and the IGD & HIA group exhibited weaker physiological activity to online game films than the non-IGD & LIA group. It was interesting that IGD abusers have positive emotion to online game films, but they self-rated not much physiological activity (arousal) than people without IGD. The results of HRV index (LF/HF) in the IGD & HIA group also implied that the IGD abusers exhibited stronger sympathetic nervous activity or weaker parasympathetic nervous activity. The parasympathetic activity of the IGD & HIA group to regulate negative emotions was weaker than the non-IGD & LIA group, which consisted with the RSA

Investigation of Emotion Characters of Internet Abusers Using Psychophysiological Signals

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It is noticed that the effect of induction material, film and picture, was different. Emotional films induced a single targeted emotion, whereas some emotional pictures (anger and fear) induced multiple emotions. The stimulation type and time interval may cause such difference [57]. For temporal character, picture is a kind of static stimulation which displayed lasting for 12 s, and one frame is regarded as one stimulus. The emotional film clip is a kind of dynamic stimulation which displayed lasting 180 s (1/30 s/frame), and it is total 5400 stimuli for 180 s. Nevertheless, the display time of induction material was different from film and picture, and that may affect the emotional induction effect. For cognitive feature, films convey complex cognitive feature and can catch people's attention [57]. The emotional complexity was observed from the emotional picture trial but the film trial. In the real world, people usually receive dynamic stimulation rather than static stimulation, and therefore, the emotional film inductions are more close to the real world stimulation. In addition, the negative emotional materials induced multiple negative emotions. The stimulation type and property

**Property Film Picture** Substantial [57] Temporal Display time 1/30 s/frame ∞ s/frame

Stimulation period 180 s 12 s

2. Catch attention

2. More pure emotional

3. Dynamic stimulation 4. Dynamic physiological

induction

regulation

surprise

2. Anger overlaps surprise and fear

Static stimulation

Spatial Resolution 1180 × 800 1024 × 768

Complexity 1. Fear overlaps

Feature 1. Complex cognitive feature

Emotional Type Positive/negative Positive/negative

Stimulation 1. Real world stimulation

**Table 5.** Stimulation properties of film and picture induction materials.

results of IA experiment.

were shown in **Table 5**.


**Table 3.** RSA reactivity before and after emotional inductions.


HIA: high-risk IA; LIA: low-risk IA; TAM: thoracoabdominal movement; TM: thoracic movement; AM: abdominal movement; RSA: respiratory sinus arrhythmia; ↑: increase; r: decrease; \*p < 0.05.

**Table 4.** Summary table of emotional intensity, TAM, and RSA reactivity in IA experiment.

The experimental result of IGD experiment indicated that the IGD & HIA group felt more positive emotion for online game films than the non-IGD & LIA group, and the IGD & HIA group exhibited weaker physiological activity to online game films than the non-IGD & LIA group. It was interesting that IGD abusers have positive emotion to online game films, but they self-rated not much physiological activity (arousal) than people without IGD. The results of HRV index (LF/HF) in the IGD & HIA group also implied that the IGD abusers exhibited stronger sympathetic nervous activity or weaker parasympathetic nervous activity. The parasympathetic activity of the IGD & HIA group to regulate negative emotions was weaker than the non-IGD & LIA group, which consisted with the RSA results of IA experiment.

emotions [47, 48]. The RSA reactivity to positive emotions was not varied that much as that of negative emotions. The results of RSA reactivity of before and after emotional inductions were shown in **Table 3**. The summary result of emotional intensity, TAM and RSA reactivity in IA

2: Emotional state Difference (2–1)

experiment was shown in **Table 4**.

**Emotion** 1: Before emotional induction

110 Drug Addiction

**RSA reactivity**

**Group 1 2**

**Table 3.** RSA reactivity before and after emotional inductions.

HIA > LIA (questionnaire)

TM (−0.34, ↓) AM (−1.32, ↑)

HIA: TM, LIA:AM

Emotion intensity

TAM (power difference)

Stimulation Picture (static stimulation) Film (dynamic stimulation)

**Negative** HIA < LIA HIA < LIA HIA(0.029, ↑) > LIA (0.000, −) Anger HIA(−0.031, ↓) > LIA (−0.010, ↓) Fear HIA(0.107\*\*, ↑) > LIA (−0.004, ↓) Sadness HIA(0.017, ↑) = LIA (0.017, ↑) **Positive** HIA < LIA HIA < LIA HIA(0.125\*\*, ↑) > LIA (0.016, ↑) Happiness HIA(0.126\*, ↑) > LIA (0.080, ↑) Surprise HIA > LIA HIA(0.124\*↑) > LIA (−0.053, ↓) HIA: high-risk IA; LIA: low-risk IA; ↑: increase; ↓: decrease; −: no difference; \*p < 0.05; \*\*p < 0.01.

HIA HIA

LIA LIA

AM: breathing frequency changed slower (parasympathetic)

TM (0.11, ↑) AM (0.44, ↑) TM (−1.44, ↑) AM

TM: breathing frequency changed faster

RSA reactivity RSA↑

movement; RSA: respiratory sinus arrhythmia; ↑: increase; r: decrease; \*p < 0.05.

**Table 4.** Summary table of emotional intensity, TAM, and RSA reactivity in IA experiment.

Emotional type Positive Negative Positive Negative

TM (0.21, ↑) AM (−0.87, ↑)

(0.27, ↑)

HIA: high-risk IA; LIA: low-risk IA; TAM: thoracoabdominal movement; TM: thoracic movement; AM: abdominal

HIA < LIA (questionnaire)

TM (−0.19, ↓) AM (−2.22, ↓)

TM (−4.33, ↓) AM (−1.42, ↑)

(except surprise) (HIA\*↑ < LIA↑)

TM (0.20, ↑) AM (0.63, ↑)

TM (−2.70, ↓) AM (−4.26, ↑)

RSA↓

(except sadness) (HIA\*↑ < LIA↓)

It is noticed that the effect of induction material, film and picture, was different. Emotional films induced a single targeted emotion, whereas some emotional pictures (anger and fear) induced multiple emotions. The stimulation type and time interval may cause such difference [57]. For temporal character, picture is a kind of static stimulation which displayed lasting for 12 s, and one frame is regarded as one stimulus. The emotional film clip is a kind of dynamic stimulation which displayed lasting 180 s (1/30 s/frame), and it is total 5400 stimuli for 180 s. Nevertheless, the display time of induction material was different from film and picture, and that may affect the emotional induction effect. For cognitive feature, films convey complex cognitive feature and can catch people's attention [57]. The emotional complexity was observed from the emotional picture trial but the film trial. In the real world, people usually receive dynamic stimulation rather than static stimulation, and therefore, the emotional film inductions are more close to the real world stimulation. In addition, the negative emotional materials induced multiple negative emotions. The stimulation type and property were shown in **Table 5**.


**Table 5.** Stimulation properties of film and picture induction materials.
