Psychological Perspectives: Quality of Life and Motivation

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss psychological perspectives on BCI use and specifically focus on quality of life and motivation. While it is often assumed that quality of life would be low in patients with severe motor disability, we, based on research findings, present why this assumption is false and present positive influencing factors leading to high quality of life in this population. We furthermore point out the importance of communication for satisfactory quality of life. Motivation as a possible psychological variable influencing communication while using a BCI system is elucidated and experimental studies which indicate a moderate but consistent influence of motivation are reviewed.