An Analysis of the External Validity of EEG Spectral Power in an Uncontrolled Outdoor Environment during Default and Complex Neurocognitive States

Abstract

Traditionally, quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) studies collect data within controlled laboratory environments that limit the external validity of scientific conclusions. To probe these validity limits, we used a mobile EEG system to record electrophysiological signals from human participants while they were located within a controlled laboratory environment and an uncontrolled outdoor environment exhibiting several moderate background influences. Participants performed two tasks during these recordings, one engaging brain activity related to several complex cognitive functions (number sense, attention, memory, executive function) and the other engaging two default brain states. We computed EEG spectral power over three frequency bands (theta: 4–7 Hz, alpha: 8–13 Hz, low beta: 14–20 Hz) where EEG oscillatory activity is known to correlate with the neurocognitive states engaged by these tasks. Null hypothesis significance testing yielded significant EEG power effects typical of the neurocognitive states engaged by each task, but only a beta-band power difference between the two background recording environments during the default brain state. Bayesian analysis showed that the remaining environment null effects were unlikely to reflect measurement insensitivities. This overall pattern of results supports the external validity of laboratory EEG power findings for complex and default neurocognitive states engaged within moderately uncontrolled environments.

Urban Landscape Perception Research Based on the ERP Method: A Case Study of Jingdezhen, China

“…Event-related potentials (ERPs), a validated non-invasive neurotechnological method, are preferred for obtaining brain data due to their low cost and high temporal resolution [43,44]. The core characteristics of ERPs include amplitude, latency, and distribution across brain regions, all of which are key factors in precisely describing the brain's response to specific events [45].…”

Portable EEG for assessing attention in educational settings: A scoping review

“…The signal quality of portable EEG has been verified in short recording durations, but there is little evidence regarding long-term signal quality. While portable EEG devices have been validated in different tasks (Chabin et al, 2020;Kam et al, 2019;Khng & Mane, 2020), sites (Edwards & Trujillo, 2021;Ladouce et al, 2019), andpopulations (McWilliams et al, 2021;Xu et al, 2022) within a short recording duration (e.g. in 10 minutes), few studies investigated the long-term stability of portable EEG devices.…”

“…Portable EEG has the comparable signal quality to traditional EEG systems devices (i.e., Edwards & Trujillo, 2021;McWilliams et al, 2021;Radüntz, 2018;Kam et al, 2019) but also offers the benefits of wireless transmission, easy installation, and low cost. Because of these advantages, portable EEG is a candidate tool for capturing the dynamics of attention in naturalistic educational settings.…”

Consciousness Science Needs Some Rest: How to Use Resting-State Paradigm to Improve Theories and Measures of Consciousness

“…Instead of maximally reducing the external stimulation, researchers can incorporate settings resembling the natural human environment (Sonkusare et al, 2019 ). This can be achieved by the passive experiencing of audiovisual material (Naci et al, 2014 ), usage of more immersive technologies like virtual reality (Baumgartner et al, 2006 ), or recording resting data outside of the laboratory (Edwards and Trujillo, 2021 ). Not only would it bring the brain's activity closer to what is actually going on most of the day; it would also impose some level of constraint on the spontaneous thought.…”