Electroencephalography in communication research: a review of the past and a glimpse of future possibilities

ABSTRACT

This manuscript focuses on the application of electroencephalography (EEG) in communication science. The hopeful assumption championed here is that EEG elicits curiosity across a broad swath of communication scholars, and the information provided is intended to instruct this wide spectrum of researchers. The starting point is an overview of psychophysiological research and elucidation of the primary advantages of EEG. The next section on ‘EEG basics’ emphasizes a conceptual understanding of the EEG signal, EEG analyses, and EEG-based measures. An overview the extant EEG-communication literature provides a preliminary answer to the question of how EEG might be effectively applied to communication inquiries. Instructed by the review of literature, theoretical, conceptual, and methodological considerations are broached in the final section.

KEYWORDS:

• Media neuroscience
• neuroscientific media psychology
• electroencephalography
• EEG
• ERP
• neural oscillations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.