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.
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.
