NEURO-RESPONSE STIMULUS AND STIMULUS ATTRIBUTE RESONANCE ESTIMATOR

• US 20090036756A1
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: NeuroFocus Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/383 Somatosensory stimuli, e.g. electric stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements

Abstract

A system determines neuro-response stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance. Stimulus material and stimulus material attributes such as communication, concept, experience, message, images, audio, pricing, and packaging are evaluated using neuro-response data collected with mechanisms such as Event Related Potential (ERP), Electroencephalography (EEG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), Electrocardiograms (EKG), Electrooculography (EOG), eye tracking, and facial emotion encoding. Neuro-response data is analyzed to determine stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a stimulus presentation device operable to provide stimulus material to a subject;

a data collection device operable to obtain neuro-response data including pre-stimulus and post-stimulus event related potential (ERP) measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP);

a resonance estimator operable to determine a subject resonance measurement to the stimulus material and attributes of the stimulus material.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection device is further operable to obtain target and distracter ERP measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection device is further operable to obtain event related time-frequency analysis of the differential response to assess the attention, emotion and memory retention (DERPSPs) across multiple frequency bands.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the multiple frequency bands comprise theta, alpha, beta, gamma and high gamma.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein attributes of the stimulus material comprise communication, concept, experience, message, images, audio, pricing, packaging.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the subject resonance measurement to identify selective targets for additional marketing, advertising and other audio/visual/tactile/olfactory stimulus.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data analyzer operable to determine the DERP.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection device is further operable to obtain pupilary dilation, galvanic skin response (GSR), and heart rate measurements for the subject.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein neuro-response data includes central nervous system and autonomic nervous system data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein neuro-response data includes central nervous system and effector data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein combinations of neurological and neurophysiological measurements including attention, emotion, and memory retention are used to perform resonance estimation.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein neuro-response data is obtained from the plurality of subjects using portable Electroencephalography (EEG) with dry electrodes.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein neuro-response data from a first modality is aligned and combined with neuro-response data from a second modality.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein aligning neuro-response data from a first modality with neuro-response data from a second modality comprises time and phase shifting.

15. A method, comprising:

providing stimulus material to a subject;

obtaining neuro-response data including pre-stimulus and post-stimulus event related potential (ERP) measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP);

determining a subject resonance measurement to the stimulus material and attributes of the stimulus material.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining target and distracter ERP measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP).

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining event related time-frequency analysis of the differential response to assess the attention, emotion and memory retention (DERPSPs) across multiple frequency bands.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

means for providing stimulus material to a subject;

means for obtaining neuro-response data including pre-stimulus and post-stimulus event related potential (ERP) measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP);

means for determining a subject resonance measurement to the stimulus material and attributes of the stimulus material.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for obtaining target and distracter ERP measurements to determine differential measurements of ERP time domain components at multiple regions of the brain (DERP).

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for obtaining event related time-frequency analysis of the differential response to assess the attention, emotion and memory retention (DERPSPs) across multiple frequency bands.