Evaluating Just-In-Time Vibrotactile Feedback for Communication Anxiety

Abstract

Wrist-worn vibrotactile feedback has been heralded as a promising intervention for reducing state anxiety during stressor events. However, current work has focused on the continuous delivery of the vibrotactile stimulus, which entails the risk of habituation to the potentially relieving effects of the feedback. This paper examines the just-in-time administration of vibrotactile feedback during a public speaking task in an effort to reduce communication apprehension. We evaluate two types of vibrotactile feedback delivery mechanisms compared to a control in a between-subjects design - one that delivers stimulus over random time points and one that delivers stimulus during moments of heightened physiological reactivity, as determined by changes in electrodermal activity. The results from these interventions indicate that vibrotactile feedback administered during high physiological arousal improves stress-related physiological measures (e.g., heart rate) and self-reported stress annotations early on in the intervention, and contributes to increased vocal stability during the public speaking task, but these effects diminish over time. Delivering the vibrotactile feedback over random points in time appears to worsen stress-related measures overall.