Correlation of phasic and tonic skin-conductance responses with severity of motion sickness induced by viewing an optokinetic rotating drum.

50 subjects viewed an optokinetic rotating drum for 12 min. Subjective ratings of motion sickness were obtained during the development of motion sickness. The tonic and phasic skin-conductance responses were recorded from the sites of finger, palm, and forehead during the baseline and drum-rotation periods. Analysis showed subjects' subjective ratings of motion sickness gradually increased during the 12 min. of the drum-rotation period. Both phasic and tonic skin conductance also gradually increased during drum rotation for all subjects. Pearson correlations for 50 subjects showed their ratings of motion sickness during the drum-rotation period were significantly correlated with ratios of phasic skin conductance recorded at the forehead between drum rotation and baseline periods (r = .62), followed by ratios of tonic skin conductance recorded at the finger palmar site (r = .48), ratios of phasic skin conductance recorded at the finger palmar site (r = .43), and ratios of tonic skin conductance recorded at the forehead site (r = .39). In conclusion, the phasic skin-conductance responses recorded at the forehead site were most sensitive physiological correlates of motion sickness induced by viewing an optokinetic rotating drum.