A complex experimental assessment for objective description of hierarchical psychophysiological behavior as human regulatory phenotype.

For the objective and valid identification of different human regulatory phenotypes it should be useful to analyze the behavior of different regulatory subsystems (Anochin 1976) in one multivariate design. Therefore in a DARA supported project a fully computerized and reliable laboratory assessment was developed and tested. We used a set of electrophysiological parameters that should indicate the activity of different functional regulation systems on different "behavioral levels". Skin conductance, skin temperature and voice pitch were used as indicators of sympathico-parasympathical activity. Breathing, heart rate variability and bloodpressure should indicate cardiovascular activity and electromyogram and mimic variablity were thought as indicators of locomotional external behavioral activity. To identify physiological reactions which are influenced by emotional stress we used voice stress measures. Even in the field of aviation and space medicine there exist data about the correlation of voice pitch with emotional excitation (Hecker et. al. 1968, Williams et.al. 1969, Friedrich, Vaic 1978, Vaic et.al. 1981,1982, Griffin, Williams 1987). In our former study (MOSAIC-study, Johannes 1990) the voice pitch and its variation range correlated with perceived emotional excitation but were independent of real bloodpressure variations. Two different types of pitch reaction to this experimental design were correlated to psychological personality scales and assigned subjects to "sensitizers" and "suppressors".