Eureka: Realizing that an application is responding to your brainwaves

Abstract

We have conducted an experiment in which subjects controlled a brain-computer interface (BCI) without being aware that their brainwaves were responsible for events in the scenario. Ten subjects went through a stage of model training in steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP)-based BCI, followed by three trials of an immersive experience where stars moved as a response to SSVEP classification. Only then the subjects were explained that they were using a BCI, and this was followed by an additional trial of immersive free choice BCI and a final validation stage. Three out of the ten subjects realized that they controlled the interface, and these subjects had better accuracy than the rest of the subjects and reported a higher sense of agency in a post study questionnaire. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.