galiorew.blogg.se - Eeg definition psychology

However, the key difference is that a stimulus is presented to a participant (for example a picture/sound) and the researcher looks for activity related to that stimulus. Furthermore, EEG scanning was responsible for developing our understanding of REM (dream) sleep, which is associated with a fast, desynchronized activity, indicative of dreaming.ĮEG can also be used to detect illnesses like epilepsy and sleep disorders, and to diagnose other disorders that affect brain activity, like Alzheimer’s disease.Įvent-Related Potentials (ERP) use similar equipment to EEG, electrodes attached to the scalp. A synchronised pattern is where a recognised waveform (alpha, beta, delta and theta) can be detected, whereas a desynchronized is where no pattern can be detected.įast desynchronized patterns are usually found when awake and synchronised patterns are typically found during sleep (alpha waves are associated with light sleep, and theta/delta waves are associated with deep sleep).

Frequency: the speed or quantity of activityĪlso, EEG patterns produce two distinctive states: synchronised and desynchronized patterns.

Amplitude: the intensity or size of the activity.

Each of these patterns has two basic properties that psychologists can examine: There are four types of EEG patterns including alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves and delta waves. Small electrical charges detected by the electrodes are graphed over a period of time, indicating the level of activity in the brain.

EEG scanners measure this electrical activity through electrodes attached to the scalp. An electroencephalogram (EEG) works on the premise that information is processed in the brain as electrical activity in the form of action potentials or nerve impulses, transmitted along neurons.