Psychophysiological baseline methods and usage

Abstract

There are several different baseline techniques available for completing psychophysiological research, yet no overarching set of guidelines exists to help researchers choose the best method. This review examines several methods used in various fields and highlights the importance and pitfalls of each. As part of this effort we conducted a small study that examines three different baseline techniques. In line with the Law of Initial Value (LIV), outcomes signal a strong positive effect for measures when utilizing a resting baseline, a weaker positive effect when utilizing a baseline directly before tasking, and a nominal effect when calibrating using a comprehensive baseline. The authors caution future researchers to fully assess the needs of their experiment before utilizing comprehensive, vanilla, or resting baselines, and to weigh the consequences of the length and number of baselines utilized. Further investigation of low workload and vigilance tasking is needed to determine whether use of vanilla and comprehensive baselines provide better contrast than a resting baseline.