Human electrodermal response to remote human monitoring: Classification and analysis of response characteristics

This study reanalyzed datasets from 2 past studies and attempted to identif y some characteristics of human electrodermal reactions to remote monitorin g by another human, an aspect of direct mental interaction with living syst ems (DMILS) research. The objectives were (a) to see if an electrodermal DM ILS response was similar to a sensory response and, if not, to see if there were any useful characteristics that could be used to identify the former and (b) to compare the electrodermal response seen in DMILS with that seen in reaction to a weak magnetic field, allowing exploration of potential mec hanisms or physiological response systems that might produce the observed D MILS effects. No electrodermal activity (EDA) was observed that was obvious ly comparable to a sensory response, and there was no evidence of a consist ent difference between activate and calm periods. Consistent between-partic ipant differences were noted when comparing DMILS responsiveness to resting EDA.A consistent scale-invariant pattern was found based on the variance o f EDA, showing significant differences between any type of influence attemp t and rest periods (p<0.01 and p<0.0002, 2-tailed). This pattern was also s een in the magnetic field exposure data, possibly indicating similarities b etween DMILS and magnetic response mechanisms.