Co-Verbal Touch: Enriching Video Telecommunications with Remote Touch Technology

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the psycho-physiological impact of remote touch in conjunction with conversations shared over video telecommunication. Interlocutors sent upper arm squeezes to each other through paired touch input and output devices in real time. Committed couples were recruited to use the devices in semi-structured discussions after they watched a video clip that contained emotionally charged moments. Users were not told how to use the devices and were free to define the purpose of their use. We examined how remote touch may impact skin conductance and heart rate variability during emotionally charged conversations. Our results revealed that irrespective of speech sentiment, co-verbal touch reduced arousal when compared to discourse without touch. However, touch was used more frequently in utterances that were judged negative and its reduction in arousal was more pronounced than co-verbal touch in positive utterances. These findings suggest that remote touch can be used to attenuate negative conversations or similar circumstances.