Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) describes an atypical multisensory experience of calming, tingling sensations that originate in the crown of the head in response to a specific subset of audio-visual triggers. There is currently no tool that can accurately classify both ASMR-Responders and non-responders, while simultaneously identifying False-Positive cases that are similar sensory-emotional experiences. This study sought to fill this gap by developing a new online psychometric tool - the ASMR-Experiences Questionnaire (AEQ). Participants watched a series of short ASMR videos and answered sensory-affective questions immediately afterwards. Using a k-means clustering approach, we identified five data-driven groupings, based on tingle- and affect-related scores. ASMR-Responders differentiate based on ASMR propensity and intensity (ASMR-Strong; ASMR-Weak); non-responders differentiate based on response valence (Control+; Control-; False-Positive). Recommendations for how the AEQ and the respective output groups can be best utilized to enhance ASMR research are discussed.
Keywords: autonomous sensory meridian response; classify; k-means; psychometric; questionnaire.
© 2021 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.