EEG-Integrated Selective Attention Assessment Software Platform

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a software platform that enables respondents to complete different selective attention test variants, locally or remotely, while at the same time collecting their electroencephalogram measurements. The main goal is to provide an applied software solution for a platform in the domain of telepsychology to go beyond the current use of telecommunication tools in this field. The platform reconciles reliable and synchronized transfer of test data and measured electroencephalogram values in real time to create a test environment that does not disturb the respondent when completing the test and presents all the data to the (remote) examiner. The proposed platform comprises a data-source module and a data-collecting module, with the configuration of the electroencephalogram measuring device (its frequency and channels) being transferred before acquiring the measurements. This makes the communication between the modules independent in terms of the chosen headset. Even with providing only preliminary results, a pilot experiment was conducted to test the platform with both types of tests, utilizing an Emotiv Insight headset. This has yielded results that show specific variants added to customize baseline cases of the tests lead to higher response times and show higher cognitive load for respondents.