The 14th “People Who Read People” episode is about electrodermal activity (EDA), also known as galvanic skin response (GSR). I interview Dr. Christopher Moyer, PhD, a counseling psychologist with expertise in treatment research and has published research on the anxiety-reducing effects of massage therapy and the neurological effects of meditation. He also happens to be an avid poker player, and began playing seriously in 1994 (it was through poker that I met Dr. Moyer online). He has taught at the University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Stout, University of Denver, and is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he teaches the course Psychology of Poker.
Links to the episode:
In this podcast episode, we talk about electrodermal activity. Topics include:
- What is EDA? What exactly does it measure?
- How and why polygraphs use EDA-measurement
- Why is EDA used in so much psychology research?
- How Dr. Moyer used EDA in his massage therapy research
- How EDA is used by the Scientology e-meter device
- EDA measurements in a study on problem gambling
- Potential uses of EDA in poker behavior analysis
- Carl Jung’s studying of EDA responses to speaking of words
- Effects of sleeping position on mental state and dreams
Some resources/articles on topics discussed in podcast: