This is the first year funding of a three year continuing effort. This is research to test the feasibility of obtaining images of brain electrical activity related to information processing and learning while people use different types of computer interfaces. The first part of the effort is to extract electroencephalographic (EEG) signals related to cognitive aspects of computer use from contaminating potentials generated by eye movements and muscle activity. A formal experiment will then be conducted in which subjects acquire skill in using both a graphical and non-graphical user interface to perform two text-editing tasks (correcting typographical or semantic errors). Neural-network pattern discrimination will be used to find the differences between the EEG spatial patterns for the typographic an semantic tasks, as well as how the patterns change as subjects learn to use each type of user interface. Successful completion of this project should pave the way for using EEG measures to investigate problems in human-computer interaction.
