The variability of the heart rhythm and the nature of the feedback as a result of operator activity in man]

In a memory task which required sustained attention, the positive or negative emotional state of an operator was created by introduction of two different types of feedback in accordance with the number of correct or wrong solutions. Standard and original indices were used for evaluation of the short-term variability of the heart rate (HRV) during performance. Changes in the HRV were observed only in the periods of performance with the failure type of the feedback. These changes reflected stabilization of heart bit-to-bit intervals. The original index of the fast HRV turned to be the most sensitive for testing HRV changes. Human autonomic reactions of such a kind during operator-like activity are known as a predictor for the functional state of dissatisfaction. This confirms the practical importance of application of the HRV indices for testing the ergonomic properties of the systems which control the operator-computer interaction.