electroencephalogram (EEG)

• EEG

  • measures electrical activity within brain via electrodes fixed to scrap using skull cap
  • represents brainwave patterns generate from action of thousands or neurons - overall account of brain activity
  • used by clinicians as diagnostic tool - unusual arrhythmic patterns of activity (no particular rhythm) may indicate neurological abnormalities
• EEG evaluations

  • S: useful in studying stages of sleep + diagnosis of conditions (epilepsy = random bursts of activity in brain detected on screen), high temporal resolution (single milliessecond) - real world application
  • W: generalised nature of information received, not useful for pinpointing exact source of neural activity - can distinguish between activities originating in different but adjacent locations