Measuring attention to video clips : An application of the probe stimulus technique using event-related brain potentials

Abstract

The amplitude of a late positive wave (P3 or P300) of the event-related brain potential (ERP) elicited by probe stimuli in a secondary task is inversely related to the amount of perceptual-central processing resources allocated to a primary task. The historical overview of this theory is discussed and a selective review of the probe stimulus technique using ERPs is presented. Then, an extension to the study by Suzuki, Nittono, and Hori (2005, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 55, 35-43) is reported to demonstrate that the amplitude of the P300 elicited by auditory probe stimuli varies with the level of interest in video clips, even when their perceptual complexity is equivalent. More specifically, P300 amplitude was smaller when participants watched a video clip for the first time than when they watched the same video clip for the fifth time. Moreover, the amplitude reduction was more prominent for the P300 elicited by perceptually deviant, non-target probe stimuli than for the P300 elicited by target probe stimuli presented with an equally low probability. The potential merits of the probe stimulus technique using ERPs in non-occupational settings are discussed. Keywords: mental workload, processing resources, P3(P300), secondary task 2006 年 2 月 8 日受稿，2006 年 3 月 3 日受理 1) 研究設備を快く提供してくださった堀忠雄先生，実験の遂行に協力してくれた鈴木淳氏，草稿に対して有益なコメ ントをくださった片山順一先生と松田いづみ先生，信号処理の最近の進歩について教えてくださった Sergei Shishkin 先生に感謝します。本研究は，科学研究費補助金（若手研究(B)14710044） ，第 31 回日産学術研究助成（特定領域基 礎研究）を受けて行った。 1