System for correlating in a display stimuli and a test subject's response to the stimuli

• US 6,236,885 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Capita Research Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Capita Research Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Hunter, David B., Brueggman, Richard M., McCarraher, Kenneth B., Gustafson, Harlan I. Jr., Stenstrom, Tomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US09/343,524
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 600/544, 600/545, 600/301, 600/481, 600/529, 600/26-28, 434/235
• US Class Current: 600/545
• 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 5/377 using evoked responses

Abstract

A system to integrate and synchronize a plurality of signals for recording on a destination video recording device and/or for display on a monitor. The plurality of signals represent the response of a test subject to certain stimuli. A test subject views an audio-visual display from an audio-video source, such as a video cassette recorder, while an EEG response to the audio-video display is measured. The EEG response is sent to a processor and converted to a graphical representation of the EEG signal. The graphical representation of the EEG signal and a signal from the source audio-video device are sent to a destination VCR and/or a destination audio-video recording device that records the data from both sources. The destination audio-video recording device can send a composite signal to a destination VCR and/or a destination monitor to record and/or display the synchronized signals from the source audio-video recording device and the graphical representation of the EEG signal simultaneously. The destination VCR and destination monitor can also record and/or display output and control data such as the time and date of the test.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a source configured to provide input stimuli to a test subject;

a monitor configured to monitor a reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli; and

a controller configured to generate a composite signal including the input stimuli and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli in synchronization.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control recording of the generated composite signal onto a recording medium.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the generated composite signal on a monitor.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to retrieve the recorded generated composite signal from the recording medium and to display the retrieved composite signal on a monitor.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

7. A system according to claim 3, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

8. A system according to claim 4, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

9. A system, comprising:

source means for providing input stimuli to a test subject;

monitoring means for monitoring a reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli; and

control means for generating a composite signal including the input stimuli and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli in synchronization.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the control means further controls recording of the generated composite signal onto a recording means.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein the control means further displays the generated composite signal on a display means.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein the control means further retrieves the recorded generated composite signal from the recording means and displays the retrieved composite signal on a display means.

13. A system according to claim 9, wherein the source means inputs a video signal as the input stimuli and the monitoring means monitors the reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli to include EEG data.

14. A system according to claim 10, wherein the source means inputs a video signal as the input stimuli and the monitoring means monitors the reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli to include EEG data.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein the source means inputs a video signal as the input stimuli and the monitoring means monitors the reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli to include EEG data.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein the source means inputs a video signal as the input stimuli and the monitoring means monitors the reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli to include EEG data.

17. A process, comprising the steps of:

providing input stimuli to a test subject;

monitoring a reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli;

generating a composite signal including the input stimuli and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli in synchronization.

18. A process according to claim 17, further comprising the step of recording the generated composite signal onto a recording medium.

19. A process according to claim 17, further comprising the step of displaying the generated composite signal on a monitor.

20. A process according to claim 18, further comprising the steps of retrieving the recorded generated composite signal from the recording medium and displaying the retrieved composite signal on a monitor.

21. A process according to claim 17, wherein in the input step the input stimuli is a video signal and in the monitoring step the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

22. A process according to claim 18, wherein in the input step the input stimuli is a video signal and in the monitoring step the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

23. A process according to claim 19, wherein in the input step the input stimuli is a video signal and in the monitoring step the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

24. A process according to claim 20, wherein in the input step the input stimuli is a video signal and in the monitoring step the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to control a source configured to provide input stimuli to a test subject and for causing a computer to control a monitor configured to monitor a reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli, the computer program code mechanism including;

a first computer code configured to generate a composite signal including the input stimuli and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli in synchronization.

26. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein the computer program code mechanism further comprises a second computer code configured to control recording of the generated composite signal onto a recording medium.

27. A computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the computer program code mechanism further comprises a second computer code configured to display the generated composite signal on a monitor.

28. A computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the computer program code mechanism further comprises a third computer configured to retrieve the recorded generated composite signal from the recording medium and to display the retrieved composite signal on a monitor.

29. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

30. A computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

31. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.

32. A computer program product according to claim 28, wherein the input stimuli is a video signal and the monitored reaction of the test subject to the input stimuli includes EEG data.