Physiological measures such as heart rate are used to evaluate what aspect?

Physiological measures like heart rate provide direct insights into the body's responses to various stimuli or situations, particularly concerning stress. When individuals experience stress, the body activates its fight-or-flight response, leading to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological changes. These indicators are effective in assessing how stressed a participant is in a given context. By measuring heart rate, researchers can monitor the intensity of the body's reactions to stressors, thereby providing a quantitative assessment of stress levels.

While physiological measures can also relate to comfort levels, concentration, and emotional states, heart rate is most strongly linked to stress due to the immediate and measurable response it exhibits in situations that provoke anxiety or pressure. This connection emphasizes why heart rate is a key tool for evaluating stress levels in psychological studies.