Project: NeuroPsychology Lab

Comparing Beta-Wave Activity Across Cognitive Tasks

Tasks:

1. Reading and Memorizing: Participants will read a short text for 5 minutes with instructions to memorize as much as possible for a later recall task.
2. Nature Video Viewing: Participants will watch a calming nature video for 5 minutes, with no specific instructions other than to observe the video.
3. TikTok Browsing: Participants will browse TikTok (or any other social media platform) on their phone for 5 minutes. They can freely scroll and watch content of their choice.

Procedure:

Participants will complete the three tasks in a randomized order to control for order effects.

Before starting the tasks, a 1-minute resting baseline will be recorded with eyes open to normalize EEG data.

Each task will last 5 minutes, and participants will be asked to remain seated and minimize movements during recordings.

After the TikTok condition, participants will briefly describe the types of videos they watched (e.g., humorous, educational).|

EEG recording and Analysis:

Beta-wave activity (13–30 Hz) will be analyzed, focusing on frontal (Fz) and parietal (Pz) regions, which are associated with cognitive effort and engagement.

Beta-wave power will be compared across the three conditions (reading, video viewing, and TikTok browsing) to identify differences in cognitive engagement and relaxation.

Expected Outcome:

To illustrate how beta-wave activity reflects differences in cognitive and attentional states across various tasks.