EEG Visualization Survey

Informed Consent Form

Study Title: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Brain Visualizer Tool for EEG Interpretation.

Purpose: You are invited to participate in a study testing real-time brain visualizer applications. The goal is to assess whether users can more quickly and accurately determine brain states (awake or asleep) using two different methods.

Procedures: You will complete two short tasks and answer related questions about your experience. The entire activity should take approximately 5 minutes.

Voluntary Participation: Your participation is completely voluntary. You may stop at any time without penalty.

Confidentiality: No personal or identifying information will be collected. Only your response times and answers to open-ended questions will be recorded.

Risks and Benefits: There are no anticipated risks. While there are no direct benefits, your participation will help improve EEG data interpretation tools.

Consent Statement: By selecting "I agree" below, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old, have read this consent form, and voluntarily agree to participate. Furthermore, you agree to participate honestly and complete this survey only once.

Participation Declined

You have chosen not to participate in this study. Thank you for your time.

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Introduction

In neuroscience, EEG (electroencephalography) records brain activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. The brain produces different types of waves:

Delta and Theta waves are more prominent during sleep or drowsiness.
Gamma and Beta waves are more associated with wakefulness and active thinking.
Alpha waves are often linked to relaxed wakefulness.

In this activity, you will view two different visualizations of EEG recordings.

Instructions

You will be presented with two tasks, one after the other. In each task, you will view a visualization representing brain activity.

Your goal is to determine if the person recorded is awake or asleep based on the visual information shown.

Press the indicated 'Play' or 'Start' control within each task section to begin viewing the visualization. The timer for the task starts at that moment. Use any other provided controls to explore the data as needed. Answer the questions below the visualization when you have made your determination.

Task X

Legend

Delta Waves

Associated with deep sleep, drowsiness.

Theta Waves

Associated with sleep, drowsiness; can occur during relaxed wakefulness.

Alpha Waves

Typical of relaxed wakefulness (e.g., eyes closed).

Beta Waves

Associated with wakefulness, active thinking, alertness.

Gamma Waves

Associated with wakefulness, higher mental activity.

Use the information below to interpret this visualization:

The circles represent different brain regions (electrodes).
The brightness/opacity shows the activity level of the brainwave type currently being viewed. Brighter = More Active.
Use the colored buttons (Delta, Theta, etc.) to focus on different brainwave types. All waves are occurring simultaneously in the same recording; the buttons change which type's activity is highlighted.
Your Goal: Determine if the person is Awake or Asleep by observing which wave types are most dominant overall.
Press the ▶️ Play button below the video to view the activity.