Distinguishing Observed Inattentive Behaviors in the College Classroom as they Correlate to Brain Wave Activity Utilizing a Wireless Electroencephalograph

Location

CSU 253

Start Date

12-4-2004 8:45 AM

End Date

12-4-2004 10:15 AM

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Edison Perdomo

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

A significant amount of research has been devoted to the behavioral correlates of inattention in children. Utilizing a well-developed index, teachers and instructors can accurately gauge the attention level of their students in their classrooms allowing valuable feedback in their development of effective lesson plans. College students, in their several years of experience, are much more capable of masking these trademark behaviors. Often when a children lose interest, they will begin to openly look around the room, wiggle in their seat, or chat with their neighbors; college students, however, are likely to candidly fidget, shift in their seat, or even maintain eye contact with their instructor while daydreaming. Therefore, an additional aid is required to better assess inattentive periods. Given the invasive nature of past devices commonly used, such as the Electroencephalograph (EEG), accurate measurement proved to be very difficult in a natural setting. This study used a modified version of the EEG called the Attention Trainer (AT). This device is unique in that it focuses solely on the areas of the brain associated with attention including the reticular formation, basal ganglia, and parts of the frontal cortex. Not only smaller in size, the AT is wireless thus alleviating distraction and allowing more reliable field assessment. Using the AT to distinguish periods of inattention, several hypothesized behaviors were significantly correlated with inattentive brain wave patterns. While further research is needed to validate these results, distinguishing these behaviors should allow professors more accurate feedback on the effectiveness of their lectures.

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Apr 12th, 8:45 AM Apr 12th, 10:15 AM

Distinguishing Observed Inattentive Behaviors in the College Classroom as they Correlate to Brain Wave Activity Utilizing a Wireless Electroencephalograph

CSU 253

A significant amount of research has been devoted to the behavioral correlates of inattention in children. Utilizing a well-developed index, teachers and instructors can accurately gauge the attention level of their students in their classrooms allowing valuable feedback in their development of effective lesson plans. College students, in their several years of experience, are much more capable of masking these trademark behaviors. Often when a children lose interest, they will begin to openly look around the room, wiggle in their seat, or chat with their neighbors; college students, however, are likely to candidly fidget, shift in their seat, or even maintain eye contact with their instructor while daydreaming. Therefore, an additional aid is required to better assess inattentive periods. Given the invasive nature of past devices commonly used, such as the Electroencephalograph (EEG), accurate measurement proved to be very difficult in a natural setting. This study used a modified version of the EEG called the Attention Trainer (AT). This device is unique in that it focuses solely on the areas of the brain associated with attention including the reticular formation, basal ganglia, and parts of the frontal cortex. Not only smaller in size, the AT is wireless thus alleviating distraction and allowing more reliable field assessment. Using the AT to distinguish periods of inattention, several hypothesized behaviors were significantly correlated with inattentive brain wave patterns. While further research is needed to validate these results, distinguishing these behaviors should allow professors more accurate feedback on the effectiveness of their lectures.