The Effect of Video Coding on Infant’s Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation Data Quality

Authors: Heather Wallace, Emma Kraan, Stefania Conte

Field of Study: Social Sciences

Faculty Mentors: Stefania Conte

Easel: 85

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) assesses brain activity in response to rapidly repeated visual stimuli through electroencephalogram (EEG) data acquisition. FPVS research with infants presents challenges in maintaining attention on visual stimuli during trials. This study examines whether video coding infant’s looking behavior improves signal quality (i.e., SNR). Infants were enrolled between 5.5 and 12.5 months of age and tested at 6 months (M = 181.7 days, SD = 7.5, n=12), 9 months (M = 273.8 days, SD = 11.4, n=12), and 12 months (M = 363.9 days, SD = 7.0, n=13). Human faces and objects were presented in an oddball paradigm (standard: 6Hz, deviant: 1.2Hz). Video recordings were coded to quantify looking time per trial. EEG data quality is compared for acquisitions with and without trials where participants looked for <75% of time and analyzed by age. This investigation would provide guidelines for improving FPVS data quality in infants.