ABSTRACT

The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) measures emotional responses to various stimuli by serving as a visual representation of pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD). Scholars hold that these three dimensions are the core of human emotion (Merhrabian & Russel, 1974). Created to take advantage of the graphics capabilities of the computer, SAM was initially presented to subjects as an oscilloscope display under the control of a joystick (P. Lang, 1980). The SAM instrument portrays each of the three PAD dimensions with drawings of a character. Respondents are asked to select the figure that is most consistent with their reaction to the stimulus, rating all three dimensions for each message being investigated. Depiction of pleasure ranges from a smiling character to a frowning one, while the arousal dimension progresses from a sleeping avatar to one who is apparently excited. Dominance is portrayed using figures ranging from a small character to a large and imposing one. In its original computerized form, the joystick altered SAM’s expression for each of the polar adjective sets on scales that varied continuously from 0 to 64 while increased motion using the computer’s animation capability emphasized the character’s arousal (P. Lang, 1980).