ABOUT RATING MOTION SICKNESS
JelteBos.info
At TNO we have
developed and validated a rating scale giving a single number to the level of
sickness in terms of several symptoms particularly associated with motion
sickness (Reason & Brand, 1975). Given
its focus on sickness symptoms, this misery scale (MISC) does not differentiate
between possible causes of motion sickness, i.e., whether induced physically,
visually, or in VEs or simulators with combined physical and visual
motion. It can hence be applied in
studies on carsickness, airsickness, seasickness, cybersickness, space sickness
or whatever other type of motion sickness (see also the link to Motion Perception and Sickness, Eye Movevements
and Human Performance).
The MISC concerns an 11-point ordinal scale. When familiarised with it, subjects can
easily report on their feelings of misery within a second, allowing repeated
application within experimental trials. This avoids the need for filling out a
questionnaire, such as the by far most often used Simulator Sickness
Questionnaire (SSQ, Kennedy et al., 1993). Although the SSQ takes more time to
deploy, it offers the advantage of giving ratings for ocular and disorienting
effects in addition to a nausea rating.
A disadvantage, however, may be that it does so using a limited number
of predefined symptoms, in which the “nausea” symptoms also include
ocular effects that may not be present when, e.g., experiencing sickness
induced by physical motion with eyes closed.
Although
slightly different versions of the MISC have been used before, the version used
most often has been described first in Bos et al. (2005), and has repeatedly
been used since. These later
studies focused on physical motion (Bos et al., 2005; Bos, 2015; Nooij &
Bos, 2007, Nooij et al., 2011; Kuiper et al., 2018), on visual motion (Bos et
al., 2010, 2013; Van Emmerik et al., 2011; Lubeck et al., 2015, 2016a, 2016b),
and on combined physical and visual motion (Bos et al., 2005; Correia Gracio et al., 2014; Feenstra et
al., 2011; Kuiper et al., 2019; see my home page).
For more information on the use of this scale you can
get in contact with me as shown at my home page.
Kennedy RS, Lane NE, Berbaum
KS, Lilienthal MG (1993). Simulator
sickness questionnaire: an enhanced method for quantifying simulator
sickness. International Journal of
Aviation Psychology 3:203-220.
Reason JT, Brand JJ (1975). Motion sickness. Academic Press, London.
Last
updated: 2019-07-19