Mass communication assessment system

• US 6,792,304 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SSPT Proprietary Limited
• Original Assignee: Swinburne Limited
• Inventors: Silberstein, Richard B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/700,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 600/544, 600/559, 600/300, 600/303, 600/558, 200/90, 128/898, 128/924, 128/920, 128/923
• US Class Current: 600/544
• 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 5/378 Visual stimuli

Abstract

A mass communication assessment system (2) communicating a cognitive task to selected remote test sites (12) via a network (10) for providing a two-way communication between the central control site and the remote sites, detecting brain response signals from the subject (40) to the task, and having processing means (16) for computing variations in the brain activity for the subjects at each of the selected sites.

Claims

1. A method of mass assessment of psychological response in a cognitive task for a customer including the steps of:

obtaining input data representing a cognitive task from a customer;

transmitting input data signals representing the cognitive task from a central control site to a plurality of selected test sites remote from the test site over a network;

presenting control signals simultaneously with the cognitive task to subjects at each or at least some of the selected test sites;

detecting brain response signals from the subjects at the selected test sites to said control signals and said cognitive task;

transmitting brain response signals to the central control site over said network;

computing variations in brain activity of said subjects by calculating amplitude and/or phase and/or coherence of steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) from said brain response signals for each selected site; and

computing output data for the customer representing said variations in brain activity to different parts of said cognitive task.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of storing demographic data relevant to the subject at each of said test sites;

and

selecting the selected test sites in accordance with the content of the cognitive task.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 including the step of storing the input data signals at the selected test sites and transmitting messages to the selected test sites whereby the subjects at the test sites can activate presentation of the cognitive task.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 including the step of calculating the average amplitude and/or phase SSVEP for said selected sites.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said detecting step includes placing electrodes adjacent to the scalp of the subject and detecting brain response signals on the electrodes and the step of computing variations in brain activity includes the step of calculating inter-electrode SSVEP coherence.

6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the cognitive task is an advertisement.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cognitive task is an audiovisual advertisement and wherein the method includes the further step of preparing a display for the customer which includes the advertisement together with output signals representative of said variations in brain activity.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control signals comprise visual flicker applied to the peripheral vision of the subjects.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 including the steps of monitoring the ambient lighting levels at the selected test sites and controlling said lighting levels if they are too high.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of increasing the brightness of the visual flicker to a predetermined value over a period of time.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step of preparing a display for the customer includes the step of displaying the amplitude of the SSVEP coherence as a function of time.

12. A method as claimed in claim 7 including the further step of displaying the phase of the SSVEP coherence as a function of time.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step of preparing a display for the customer includes the step of displaying the amplitude of the SSVEP as a function of time.

14. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step of preparing a display for the customer includes the step of displaying the phase of the SSVEP as a function of time.

15. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step of preparing a display for the customer includes displaying the advertisement together with output signals representative of variations in brain activity to different parts of the advertisement.