Autonomic Changes During an Adaptive Cognitive Task

Background/Objectives: This study examined between-participant associations of task-minus-baseline heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) changes with performance during the adaptive Determination Test (DT), in which performance influences subsequent task demand.

Methods

This exploratory secondary analysis included 48 young adults. Accuracy was the study-defined proportion correct/(correct + incorrect + omitted), calculated from exported counts. Ten Pearson correlations formed the primary analytical family. Complementary fractional-logit and linear models included the corresponding baseline physiological value and the exported stimulus count (DT_Stimuli). Tonic skin conductance level and skin conductance response (SCR) frequency and amplitude were also examined. Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) adjustment was applied separately to the defined analytical families.