Gamma EEG Correlates of Haptic Preferences for a Dial Interface

Consumers often develop preferences toward consumer electronics based not only on the visual appearance of a product, but also on its haptic interface. If consumers express a strong haptic preference for a consumer electronic product, they are more likely to purchase it. Hence, it is important to understand how consumers' haptic preference for consumer electronics is formed. Conventional paper-based methods may not provide sufficient information for this purpose, because they provide post-event (i.e., after haptic experience) and environment-dependent (i.e., depending on the manner of asking questions, the person asking the questions, and so on.) data. Therefore, the present study investigated haptic preferences for consumer electronics using neural responses during haptic experiences, which provide the advantage of observing changes while the user is manipulating the product and obtaining environment-independent data. We measured neural responses using non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG). Eighteen volunteers participated in the study and manipulated a haptic dial knob that generates four different haptic profiles; during the manipulation, their EEG signals were recorded. After experiencing different haptic profiles, participants reported their level of preference for each profile. The analysis of EEG revealed that frontal gamma oscillations correlate with the level of haptic preferences, with oscillations becoming stronger with increasing haptic preference. The highest correlation between frontal gamma power and haptic preference was found in the early period of the dial task. Therefore, the frontal gamma oscillation of the EEG may represent a neural correlate of the haptic preference and provides a neural basis for understanding this preference in relation to consumer electronics

Haptics and its effect on consumers' intentions using neuroscientific methods: Literature review

The haptic properties of a product have mostly been underestimated with most studies focusing on visual aspects of objects. Nonetheless, in the last years, it has been found that tactile stimuli are in some cases even more important than the visual ones. However, the traditional paper-based surveys cannot fully and objectively examine their effects on consumers. Therefore, neuroscientific methods, which overcome these obstacles, are becoming more used but there is still only a small number of studies focusing on the effect of haptics in marketing. Using the keywords haptics, tactile input, EEG, fMRI and tactile, seven relevant studies have been found and used in this literature review, out of which four have used EEG and three fMRI. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to review the research that has been already conducted and to identify the areas in which further research should be made and the neuroscientific methods which could be used.O

Estudo neurofisiológico da discriminação de distância em humanos

Tactile width discrimination processing has been extensively studied in rodents and has demonstrated multiple relevant basic mechanisms. Despite this relevance, the number of studies of width discrimination in humans has been scarce. During the present dissertation, neurophysiological correlates of width discrimination were analyzed through electroencephalography recordings in participants performing a width discrimination task in active or passive modes. Analysis of power in the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands revealed differences in the power for different frequency bands and electrodes recorded. Active width discrimination processing was characterized by an increase in the power of delta, theta and gamma frequency bands in electrodes F3 and F4, and an increase in power in the gamma frequency band in T4. Passive tactile width processing was characterized by an increase in the power of delta in electrodes Fp1 and T4, and an increase in gamma frequency band in Tp10. Altogether these results suggest that active and passive tactile width discrimination processing are characterized by an asymmetrical network involving prefrontal, frontal and temporal electrodes, in delta, theta, and gamma frequency bands.O estudo do processamento tátil de distâncias encontra-se bastante desenvolvido em roedores, tendo sido útil para a demonstração de múltiplos mecanismos básicos relevantes. Apesar desta relevância, o estudo da discriminação de distâncias em humanos é ainda bastante reduzido. Durante a presente dissertação foram analisados os correlatos neurofisiológicos, através do registo de eletroencefalografia, em participantes que realizavam uma tarefa de discriminação de distância em modo ativo ou passivo. A análise da potência das bandas de frequências delta, teta, alfa, beta e gama revelou diferenças na potência do sinal para diferentes bandas de frequências e elétrodos. O processamento ativo era caracterizado por um aumento da potência nas bandas de frequências delta, teta e gama nos elétrodos F3, F4; e um aumento da atividade na banda de frequência gama no elétrodo T4. O processamento passivo era caracterizado por um aumento da potência de delta nos elétrodos Fp1 e T4 e um aumento da potência de gama em Tp10. No seu conjunto, estes resultados sugerem que o processamento ativo e passivo da distância são caraterizados por uma rede assimétrica envolvendo elétrodos pré-frontais, frontais e temporais nas bandas de frequência delta, teta e gama.Mestrado em Biomedicina Molecula

An Electroencephalogram Analysis Method to Detect Preference Patterns Using Gray Association Degrees and Support Vector Machines

This paper introduces an electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis method to detect preferences for particular sounds. Our study aims to create novel brain–computer interfaces (BMIs) to control human mental (NBMICM), which are used to detect human mental conditions i.e., preferences, thinking, and consciousness, choose stimuli to control these mental conditions, and evaluate these choices. It is important to detect the preferences on stimuli. If the stimuli related to the preference can be detected, the NBCIMC can provide stimuli to the user based on their emotions by detecting their favorite stimuli. The proposed method adopted EEG recording technique, extraction techniques of EEG features and detection methods of preferences. EEG recording employs a simple electroencephalograph, for which the measurement position is the left frontal lobe (Fp1) of the brain. We assume that the differences of the EEG activities on the patterns of preference are expressed in the association between the changes of the power spectra on each frequency band of the EEG. To calculate the association, we employ the gray theory model. The EEG feature is extracted by calculating the gray association degree, then, the preferences are detect using a support vector machine (SVM). Experiments are conducted to test the effectiveness of this method, which is validated by a mean accuracy rate >88% on the favorite sound detection. These results suggest that the detection of subject’s favorite sounds becomes easy when the EEG signals are analyzed while the gray associate degrees are used as the EEG feature and the SVM is used as the classifier

La neurociencia en la publicidad de productos agroalimenticios: ¿Una herramienta beneficiosa o un peligro para salud pública?

Currently, methods based on neuroscience and technology (neurotechnology) are used to understand how people process different marketing stimuli. These methods could be used to generate adequate public health policies, but it is being used by agri-food companies to improve their marketing strategies and encourage the consumption of fast food, food intake high in sugar, salt, and saturated and trans fats, being the origin of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, heart attacks, cancer, hypertension and diabetes, as well as nutritional deficiencies, which constitute a great danger to people and public health. Neuroscientists have been using different technologies (functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET), eye tracking, facial coding, galvanic skin response (GSR) or electrodermal activity (EDA), classical conditioning, Implicit-Association Test (TAI), and Neurofeedback or EEG Biofeedback), which provide new knowledge about marketing stimulus process ing and decision making. The evidence recommends that neuroimaging can reveal information about consumer preferences, which with other tools would be almost impossible to achieve. This review highlights the professional, ethical and scientific concerns applied to academic-industrial relations derived from the use of neuroscience or neuromarketing in advertising and in decision-making on the consumption of agri-food products, where neuroethics appears as a discipline of many importance. Future neuroscience research should be oriented to contribute to the effective satisfaction of needs, to differentiate and improve value offers, where the main interest is a situation of greater satisfaction and well-being for society.Actualmente, métodos basados en neurociencia y tecnología (neurotecnología), se utilizan para conocer cómo las personas procesan los diferentes estímulos del marketing. Estos métodos podrían ser utilizados para generar adecuadas políticas en salud pública, pero está siendo aprovechado por empresas agroalimenticias para mejorar sus estrategias de comercialización e incentivar el consumo de comida rápida, ingesta de alimentos alto en azucares, sal, y grasas saturadas y trans, siendo el origen de enfermedades no trasmisibles como la obesidad, infartos, cáncer, hipertensión y diabetes, además de carencias nutricionales, las cuales constituyen un gran peligro para las personas y para la salud pública. Los neurocientíficos han venido utilizando diferentes tecnologías (resonancia magnética funcional (RMF), electroencefalografía (EEG), magnetoencefalografía (MEG), tomografía por emisión de positrones (TEP), seguimiento ocular, codificación facial, respuesta galvánica de la piel (RGP) o actividad electrodérmica (AED), condicionamiento clásico, Test de Asociación Implícita (TAI), y Neurofeedback o Biofeedback electroencefalográfico), los cuales aportan nuevo conocimiento sobre procesamiento de estímulos del marketing y la toma de decisiones. La evidencia recomienda que la neuroimagen es capaz de revelar información sobre preferencias del consumidor, que con otras herramientas seria casi imposible lograr. Esta revisión, destaca las preocupaciones profesionales, éticas y científicas aplicada a las relaciones académico-industriales derivados del uso de la neurociencia o neuromarketing en publicidad y en la toma de decisiones sobre el consumo de productos agroalimenticios, donde la neuroética aparece como una disciplina de mucha importancia. Investigaciones futuras de neurociencia deben orientarse a contribuir a la satisfacción eficaz de las necesidades, a diferenciar y mejorar las ofertas de valor, donde el interés principal sea una situación de mayor satisfacción y bienestar para la sociedad

Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance. User's guide

The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design and military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from the existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by systems designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is the first volume, the User's Guide, containing a description of the program and instructions for its use