Biology subjects

Flo, E. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Flo, E. E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Validation of video engagement assessments using electrodermal activity

Engagement is widely recognised as central to learning and academic achievement. Electrodermal activity (EDA) has emerged as an objective physiological indicator of engagement, as it measures sympathetic nervous system activation. However, the high cost of wearable EDA sensors has limited its widespread application. This study answers the call for affordable, high-temporal-resolution engagement measures by validating a video-based quantitative assessment method. Researchers collected 75 minutes of synchronised EDA and video data from 12 upper secondary students (aged 17-18) during regular instruction. Novel software was developed to analyse student movement and sound level for academically relevant content. The OpenPose AI model for pose estimation was also applied. This approach produced six distinct movement variables: two AI-based and four non-AI-based. Six linear models using varying movement variables and sound level were tested to predict tonic EDA levels. All models effectively predicted EDA levels, with non-AI-based movement metrics outperforming AI-based alternatives. The four non-AI-based movement models showed similar performance, indicating that compressed versions reduced computational time without sacrificing predictive power. These findings validate a novel, objective method for comparing engagement across learning activities on short timescales. This method is particularly useful for collaborative learning environments and enables controlling for movement and sound in quantitative classroom analyses.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2026

Sympathetic activation of sensory input and learning

Summary paragraphA hallmark of learning is the need for sensory stimuli (Ginns, 2015; McGraw et al., 2009; Reinwein, 2012; Spence, 1950) so that learning is fundamentally based on sensory input signals affecting behaviour, physiology, and neurology. If behavioural measures of learning can be causally linked to physiological and neurological variables, a broader understanding of the mechanisms related to learning in schools, learning disabilities, and learning and health issues may emerge (McGraw et al., 2009). Despite decades of research on the physiological/neurological variable of sympathetic activation, learning, and achievement (Horvers et al., 2021), any causal relation remains unclear (Cowley et al., 2014; Mason et al., 2020; Pijeira-Diaz et al., 2016; Sung et al., 2023; Yu et al., 2024) and issues with instrument validation remain (Costantini et al., 2023; Hu et al., 2024; Milstein & Gordon, 2020; Van Der Mee et al., 2021). Here we investigate the effect of sensory input on sympathetic activation by using validated instruments for skin conductance measurement (Batista et al., 2019) and whether sympathetic activation is connected to learning in a cognitive laboratory context and an ecologically valid classroom context. In both contexts, we found a physiological variable which correlated with learning and that sensory input affected this variable while student movement did not. These sensory inputs varied depending on the different instructional activities the students participated in. Together, these findings bring us one step closer to a model linking sensory input to behavioural, physiological, and neurological variables.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Sensory responsivity and its connection to sympathetic activation and deactivation: implications for stress and learning

This study introduces sensory responsivity (SR), which describes individual differences in sensory stimuli response strength and is hypothesised to affect stress responses in students and, in turn, their attention. To investigate this, a scale to assess SR was developed and linked to physiological responses. To this end, electrodermal activity (EDA) and sensory gating data was collected from a laboratory study with 100 students (12-21 y) and EDA data was collected in a classroom study with 35 students (17-18 y). In the lab study, sympathetic activation was generally lower for high SR groups, whilst in the classroom study, sympathetic activation was higher for high SR groups in line with the differential susceptibility theory. The high SR groups demonstrated higher sensory gating values, indicating a potential attentional benefit in low sensory input contexts. Thus, sensory responsivity moderates sympathetic activation based on the environmental sensory-intensiveness, which may impact attention and stress-related outcomes.

neuroscience↗