Evaluating The Comparison Of Different Body Locations For Data Collection Using Galvanic Skin Response Of Forensic Chemistry Students When In Lecture And Laboratory Environments

Anxiety is the response that humans can have when exposed to a stimulus. It can be caused by a multitude of factors, such as psychological, biological, or physiological stimuli. Anxiety can be presented as a state or as a trait in a person. Trait anxiety is typically seen as a more stable personality trait, whereas state anxiety is a more intense temporary emotional state. In our study, anxiety was regarded as a more state-like characteristic. A galvanic skin response (GSR) Shimmer3+ device can measure skin electro-conductance changes following stimulation. In a situation where a participant is experiencing anxiety, levels of electroconductivity will increase. In this study, the participant was attached to a GSR device while performing academic tasks (class work) using the Ag/Ag/Cl electrodes (Figure 1). GSR data is traditionally captured from the fingers, but with the aim of recording data in a teaching laboratory where nitrile gloves are used, alternative body locations for data recording were explored. The objective was to compare different sites across the body (e.g., arms, chest, foot, and fingers) to determine the efficacy of each body location for measuring the anxiety experienced by forensic chemistry students when exposed to academic stimuli and determine a comparison in data between lecture and laboratory setting. The data from the GSR Shimmer 3+ was analyzed to determine if the GSR had high fidelity and efficacy for measuring arousal states and reflect the anxiety states of the student following challenging tasks. Previous findings suggested using feet and fingers to collect the most accurate data. However, the findings from this study confirm that the most effective data collection location remains the finger, while the arms, chest, and feet were insufficient for collecting quality data.