Respiratory control when measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia during a talking task

The current study explored the effects of talking on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during a semi-structured emotional interview (Adult Attachment Interview) using 76 female undergraduates. The effectiveness of 2 different methodological approaches (i.e. talking baseline or transfer function) was explored as respiratory control during talking tasks. RSA was collected during resting baseline, talking baseline, and interview conditions. Subjective reports of distress were higher in the interview than in the other 2 conditions. Mean RSA levels were significantly lower in the 2 talking tasks than in the resting baseline. After applying a transfer function for respiratory control, there were no significant differences between the 3 conditions. Moderator analyses yielded lower RSA values in the talking baseline and interview conditions for participants who reported greater distress during the interview. It was concluded that respiratory controls are likely necessary when using RSA in talking paradigms and that both approaches appeared to be adequate.

► We compared two methods of respiratory control (i.e. talking baseline and transfer function) when collecting RSA during tasks involving talking.
► We found that RSA was higher in our resting baseline than our talking tasks, suggesting that talking influences RSA.
► There were no differences in the talking baseline and emotional interview when comparing RSA values.
► When the transfer function was applied, there were no differences among the talking and non-talking conditions.
► The data suggested that both respiratory control procedures may have promising applications in future research.