Embodied Measurement: Tangible Interactions to Enhance the Validity of Self-Report Measures

This work introduces the concept of Embodied Measurement (EM), designed to improve the validity and inclusivity of cognitive load assessments by incorporating physical interactions that mirror mental effort. We implemented a haptic force-feedback turning knob as an alternative to traditional Likert-scale ratings and compared it with visual (mouse-based) and combined (haptic and visual) modalities. Participants completed a cognitive load task with varying difficulty levels using each modality, while biosignals such as heart rate variability, skin conductance, and pupil size were recorded to objectively assess cognitive load. In addition, qualitative feedback was gathered to explore participants’ experiences with each input method. Our findings highlight the potential of EM to offer more tangible and intuitive ways of measuring cognitive load, with the combined modality providing the most comprehensive feedback. This study contributes to human-computer interaction (HCI) research by proposing new approaches for measuring cognitive and emotional effort through physical interaction.