About This Visualization

This interactive educational tool provides a real-time simulation of human physiological responses to cognitive and emotional stimuli. It visualizes how mental tasks and emotional states can influence the autonomic nervous system, offering insights into the mind-body connection. The simulation is based on principles and data patterns derived from the PhysioNet Multimodal N-Back Music dataset, which studied the effects of cognitive load (using the N-Back task) and emotional arousal (induced by music) on physiological signals. Our goal is to make complex psychophysiological concepts accessible and understandable for students, educators, and anyone interested in biofeedback and human-computer interaction.

How to Use

• Manual Mode: Select a condition from the dropdown menu and press "Start Visualization" to begin a continuous simulation. You can change conditions at any time to observe the gradual transition in the physiological signals.
• Demo Mode: Press "Auto Demo (20s)" for a guided tour that automatically cycles through different conditions, highlighting the dynamic changes in the body's responses.
• Interactive Features: Click or tap the canvas to mark an event and observe the resulting visual marker. Use the 'Y' (Yes) and 'N' (No) keys to respond to the N-Back task and see your score update in real-time.
• Audio Feedback: Toggle the "Audio (ECG)" switch to enable realistic heartbeat sounds synchronized with the ECG signal for a more immersive experience.

Signal Guide

• N-Back Stimulus: Letters appear every 2 seconds. The task is to identify if the current letter matches the one shown 'N' positions ago (1-back or 3-back). This task is a classic method for inducing cognitive load.
• ECG (Green): The Electrocardiogram shows the heart's electrical activity with realistic QRS complexes and T-waves. Higher cognitive load and exciting music will increase the heart rate (BPM), causing the green peaks to appear closer together.
• EDA (Blue): Electrodermal Activity reflects sweat gland activity, an indicator of arousal. Higher stress leads to a higher overall level and more pronounced, slow-moving peaks after stimuli with realistic 1-3 second delays.
• RESP (Red): Respiration shows breathing patterns with natural depth variations. Notice how the breathing rate (RPM) tends to increase during more demanding conditions.

Key Observations & Physiological Concepts

This simulation models several key psychophysiological phenomena. As you explore the different conditions, try to observe the following realistic interactions:

• Cognitive Load vs. Arousal: Compare the "Calm Music / 3-Back" condition with "Exciting Music / 1-Back". This allows you to see how high cognitive load and high emotional arousal can produce similar, yet distinct, physiological stress signatures.
• Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA): Look closely at the ECG signal. You will notice that the spacing between heartbeats is not perfectly regular. This is partly because heart rate naturally increases during inhalation and decreases during exhalation, a phenomenon directly linked to the RESP signal.
• EDA Latency and Kinetics: When a new stimulus appears or you respond to the N-Back task, note that the EDA (blue) signal does not react instantly. It has a characteristic delay and slow exponential rise/decay reflecting the slow-acting nature of the sympathetic nervous system.
• Habituation/Adaptation: If you run a single condition for a long time, you will notice that the physiological responses gradually become less intense over approximately 4 minutes. This models adaptation, where the body's reaction to a persistent stressor lessens over time.
• Error-Related Stress: When you make an incorrect response in the N-Back task (as indicated by the '✗' feedback), observe the subsequent spike in the EDA signal. This demonstrates how performance errors can act as internal stressors.