Neuro-response stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance estimator

• US 8,533,042 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trotter, Scott S
• Application Number:
  US12/182,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20090036756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.41, 705/14.66
• US Class Current: 705/14.42
• 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 data collector to obtain first encephalography data from a subject prior to exposure to an advertisement or entertainment and second encephalography data from the subject after exposure to the advertisement or entertainment;

a data analyzer to;

detect a first pattern of oscillation in a first frequency band of the second encephalography data,

detect a second pattern of oscillation in a second frequency band of the second encephalography data,

identify a first degree of phase synchrony between the first pattern of oscillation from the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation from the second frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the first pattern of oscillation in the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation in the second frequency band,

calculate a first event related potential measurement from the first encephalography data,

calculate a first event related power spectral perturbation from the first encephalography data,

calculate a second event related potential measurement from the second encephalography data,

calculate a second event related power spectral perturbation from the second encephalography data,

calculate a differential event related potential measurement by subtracting the first event related potential measurement from the second event related potential measurement, and

calculate a differential event related power spectral perturbation based on the first event related power spectral perturbation and the second event related power spectral perturbation; and

a resonance estimator to determine a resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the first degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first encephalography data or the second encephalography data includes data from multiple regions of a brain of the subject.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data analyzer is to assess at least one of attention, emotion or memory retention based on the differential event related potential measurement.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first frequency band comprises one of a theta frequency, an alpha frequency, a beta frequency, a gamma frequency or a high gamma frequency and the second frequency band comprises another one of the theta frequency, the alpha frequency, the beta frequency, the gamma frequency or the high gamma frequency.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the advertisement or entertainment comprises at least one of a communication, a concept, an experience, a message, an image, an audio component, a price or a packaging.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collector is to obtain at least one of pupillary dilation data, galvanic skin response data or heart rate data from the subject.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data analyzer is to at least one of align or combine at least one of the first encephalography data or the second encephalography data with at least one of the pupillary dilation data, the galvanic skin response data or the heart rate data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data analyzer is to at least one of time shift or phase shift at least one of the first encephalography data, the second encephalography data, the pupillary dilation data, the galvanic skin response data or the heart rate data to align the at least one of the first encephalography data or the second encephalography data with the at least one of the pupillary dilation data, the galvanic skin response data or the heart rate data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collector comprises dry electrodes.

11. The system of claim 1,

wherein the data analyzer is to:

detect a third pattern of oscillation in a third frequency band of the first encephalographic data,

detect a fourth pattern of oscillation in a fourth frequency band of the first encephalographic data, and

identify a second degree of phase synchrony between the third pattern of oscillation from the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation from the fourth frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the third pattern of oscillation in the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation in the fourth frequency band, and

calculate a differential degree of phase synchrony based on the first degree of phase synchrony and the second degree of phase synchrony; and

wherein the resonance estimator is to determine the resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the differential degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.

12. A method, comprising:

analyzing first encephalography data collected from a subject prior to exposure to an advertisement or entertainment and second encephalography data collected from the subject after exposure to the advertisement or entertainment;

detecting a first pattern of oscillation in a first frequency band of the second encephalography data and a second pattern of oscillation in a second frequency band of the second encephalographic data;

identifying a first degree of phase synchrony between the first pattern of oscillation from the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation from the second frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the first pattern of oscillation in the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation in the second frequency band;

calculating, using a processor, a first event related potential measurement from the first encephalography data;

calculating, using the processor, a first event related power spectral perturbation from the first encephalography data;

calculating, using the processor, a second event related potential measurement from the second encephalography data;

calculating, using the processor, a second event related power spectral perturbation from the second encephalography data;

subtracting, with the processor, the first event related potential measurement from the second event related potential measurement to calculate a differential event related potential measurement;

calculating, using the processor, a differential event related power spectral perturbation based on the first event related power spectral perturbation and the second event related power spectral perturbation; and

determining a subject resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the first degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first encephalography data or the second encephalography data includes data from multiple regions of a brain of the subject.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising assessing at least one of attention, emotion or memory retention based on the differential event related potential measurement.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the attribute of the advertisement or entertainment comprise at least one of a communication, a concept, an experience, a message, an image, an audio component, a price or a packaging.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second encephalography data includes data from the first frequency band and the second frequency band representative of brain activity occurring at a same instance in time.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the second encephalography data includes data from a first hemisphere of the brain and a second hemisphere of the brain.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the differential event related potential is based on a lateral asymmetry between the first hemisphere and the second hemisphere.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first encephalography data and second encephalography data is gathered from a first location of a scalp of the subject.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the first event related potential is a first signature of amplitudes in the first encephalography data occurring at a first time period and the second event related potential is a second signature of amplitudes in the second encephalography data occurring at a second time period corresponding to the first time period.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the differential event related potential is based on a coherence between the first encephalography data gathered during a first time period and the second encephalography data gathered during a second time period corresponding to the first time period.

23. The method of 12 further comprising:

detecting a third pattern of oscillation in a third frequency band of the first encephalographic data;

detecting a fourth pattern of oscillation in a fourth frequency band of the first encephalographic data;

identifying a second degree of phase synchrony between the third pattern of oscillation from the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation from the fourth frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the third pattern of oscillation in the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation in the fourth frequency band;

calculating a differential degree of phase synchrony based on the first degree of phase synchrony and the second degree of phase synchrony; and

determining the subject resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the differential degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.

24. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when read, cause a machine to at least:

analyze first encephalography data collected from a subject prior to exposure to an advertisement or entertainment and second encephalography data collected from the subject after exposure to the advertisement or entertainment;

detect a first pattern of oscillation in a first frequency band of the second encephalography data;

detect a second pattern of oscillation in a second frequency band of the second encephalography data

identify a first degree of phase synchrony between the first pattern of oscillation from the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation from the second frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the first pattern of oscillation in the first frequency band and the second pattern of oscillation in the second frequency band;

calculate a first event related potential measurement from the first encephalography data;

calculate a first event related power spectral perturbation from the first encephalography data;

calculate a second event related potential measurement from the second encephalography data;

calculate a second event related power spectral perturbation from the second encephalography data;

subtract the first event related potential measurement from the second event related potential measurement to calculate a differential event related potential measurement;

calculate a differential event related power spectral perturbation based on the first event related power spectral perturbation and the second event related power spectral perturbation; and

determine a subject resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the first degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein at least one of the first encephalography data or the second encephalography data includes data from multiple regions of a brain of the subject.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 24 further causing the machine to assess at least one of attention, emotion or memory retention based on the differential event related potential measurement.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the second frequency band is different from the first frequency band.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the attribute of the advertisement or entertainment comprise at least one of a communication, a concept, an experience, a message, an image, an audio component, a price or a packaging.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

detect a third pattern of oscillation in a third frequency band of the first encephalographic data;

detect a fourth pattern of oscillation in a fourth frequency band of the first encephalographic data;

identify a second degree of phase synchrony between the third pattern of oscillation from the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation from the fourth frequency band by detecting a repeating sequence of relative phase angles between the third pattern of oscillation in the third frequency band and the fourth pattern of oscillation in the fourth frequency band;

calculate a differential degree of phase synchrony based on the first degree of phase synchrony and the second degree of phase synchrony; and

determine the subject resonance measurement to the advertisement or entertainment based on one or more of the differential degree of phase synchrony, the differential event related potential measurement or the differential event related power spectral perturbation.