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EEG in the wild: Using real-world tasks to measure changes in EEG rhythms related to human Attention.
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- Author / Creator
- Robles, Daniel
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Understanding attentional processes in everyday environments is an important step to further understanding the EEG rhythms that, for decades, have been studied in isolated indoor chambers. The present dissertation aimed to investigate the dynamics of EEG oscillations using mobile settings. The dissertation starts with an overview of the state of the mobile EEG field. We next present a novel skateboard paradigm where participants can freely navigate while completing a concurrent attentional task. While we could reliably record ERPs using this new method, we found no significant differences in ERPs related to increased motor demands. In another study, we demonstrated that during outdoor cycling, there is a significant increase in the N1 ERP amplitude when participants were exposed to the greatest traffic volume. This effect suggests an increase in auditory filtering in environments with greater traffic sounds. To account for previous mixed results regarding the role of alpha power during motor tasks, we conducted an analysis of four selected mobile studies in our workgroup. We found across studies that increases in environmental complexity are associated with decreases in alpha power. Behaviourally, we found that participants can better process target stimuli when located indoors or in a quiet park. Taken together, these findings show that sing the N1 ERP and modulations in alpha oscillations, increases in environmental complexity can be accurately estimated. We also discussed several methodological considerations to improve the current state of mobile EEG literature.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2023
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.