Background. Previous work has demonstrated that a commercial gaming electroencephalography (EEG) system, Emotiv EPOC, can be adjusted to provide valid auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in adults that are comparable to ERPs recorded... more
Background. Previous work has demonstrated that a commercial gaming
electroencephalography (EEG) system, Emotiv EPOC, can be adjusted to provide
valid auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in adults that are comparable to ERPs
recorded by a research-grade EEG system, Neuroscan. The aim of the current study
was to determine if the same was true for children.
Method. An adapted Emotiv EPOC system and Neuroscan system were used to
make simultaneous EEG recordings in nineteen 6- to 12-year-old children under
“passive” and “active” listening conditions. In the passive condition, children were
instructed to watch a silent DVD and ignore 566 standard (1,000 Hz) and 100 deviant
(1,200 Hz) tones. In the active condition, they listened to the same stimuli, and were
asked to count the number of ‘high’ (i.e., deviant) tones.
Results. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) indicated that the ERP morphology recorded
with the two systems was very similar for the P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 ERP peaks
(r = .82 to .95) in both passive and active conditions, and less so, though still strong,
for mismatch negativity ERP component (MMN; r = .67 to .74). There were few
differences between peak amplitude and latency estimates for the two systems.
Conclusions. An adapted EPOC EEG system can be used to index children’s late
auditory ERP peaks (i.e., P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) and theirMMNERP component.
electroencephalography (EEG) system, Emotiv EPOC, can be adjusted to provide
valid auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in adults that are comparable to ERPs
recorded by a research-grade EEG system, Neuroscan. The aim of the current study
was to determine if the same was true for children.
Method. An adapted Emotiv EPOC system and Neuroscan system were used to
make simultaneous EEG recordings in nineteen 6- to 12-year-old children under
“passive” and “active” listening conditions. In the passive condition, children were
instructed to watch a silent DVD and ignore 566 standard (1,000 Hz) and 100 deviant
(1,200 Hz) tones. In the active condition, they listened to the same stimuli, and were
asked to count the number of ‘high’ (i.e., deviant) tones.
Results. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) indicated that the ERP morphology recorded
with the two systems was very similar for the P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 ERP peaks
(r = .82 to .95) in both passive and active conditions, and less so, though still strong,
for mismatch negativity ERP component (MMN; r = .67 to .74). There were few
differences between peak amplitude and latency estimates for the two systems.
Conclusions. An adapted EPOC EEG system can be used to index children’s late
auditory ERP peaks (i.e., P1, N1, P2, N2, P3) and theirMMNERP component.
