Work Hard, Scare Hard? An Investigation of How Mental Workload Impacts Jump Scare Intensity
summary
Sixty participants play a custom horror level with an integrated N-back task (0–3) and a scripted monster burst through a wall with loud screeching stingers at a set point. Physiological arousal measured via electrodermal activity shows a significant linear increase with mental workload, while self-reported arousal does not change across conditions. Claim: increasing concurrent cognitive load amplifies the startle response magnitude even though players do not report feeling more scared.
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