The valence self-reported data was collected following each slide presentation. The subject manipulation of the sliders was compared against the HR signals and sentic information to determine if a valid relationship existed. The pictures, and their order of presentation that was randomized for valence and intensity content, had a distinct set for men and another for women. This differentiation was necessary because of the erotic content in the first quadrant for male subjects. Each subject was given the opportunity to view both collections of pictures if they so chose.
Subjects were pre-screened for right handedness and allowed to experience the IAPS slides in privacy. We used a dark office with the door shut and the blinds down. Ideally, the experimenter should not be in the room with the subject, so they are free to express themselves in private. Unfortunately, our data collection required the experimenter to be in the room to click a button every time the picture stimulus came up. This was needed as a timing reference for the bio sensor signals. However, the experimenter sat behind the subject facing a computer screen that displayed the subject's bio signal in real time. The subjects were informed that the experimenter was not looking at them, but was there for timing purposes only. Subjects were strongly urged to respond fully to each slide, and not to repress their signals because of the presence of the experimenter.