How do researchers obtain an ERP (event-related potential) reading?
A) They take EEGs of participants doing a task repeatedly, and then average those readings.
B) They take EEGs of participants doing different tasks and then take the average of those readings.
C) They take EEGs of participants doing a task repeatedly and only use readings that show brain activity above a certain threshold.
D) They take EEGs of participants doing a task repeatedly and only use readings that show brain activity in specific areas.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Researchers obtain an ERP reading by taking EEGs of participants doing a task repeatedly and then averaging those readings. This is because ERPs are small fluctuations in EEGs that are time-locked to specific events, such as a participant's response to a stimulus. By averaging the EEGs across repeated trials and events, the signal-to-noise ratio is increased and the ERP waveform becomes clearer.

How Do Researchers Obtain an ERP (Event-Related Potential) Reading