Test–retest reliability of frontal alpha electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) measures in adolescents: a pilot study

Abstract

A number of studies have shown that the pattern of resting frontal EEG alpha power and asymmetry and heart rate are predictive of individual differences in affective style in children and adults. Although test–retest reliability of frontal electrocortical and autonomic measures has been established in adult and child and some clinical populations, few studies have examined test–retest reliability of these measures in adolescents. Here, we conducted a pilot study to examine the test–retest reliability of frontal EEG alpha power and asymmetry and heart period and heart rate in 10 typically developing adolescent participants (M age = 15.9 years) over a 1 month period. We found acceptable test–retest reliability using Pearson and intra-class correlations in left and right mid-frontal alpha power and asymmetry and heart period and heart rate over 1 month. These results provide initial evidence for acceptable levels of test-retest reliability in central and peripheral psychophysiological measures in adolescents used to index affective style in children and adults. Future studies are needed with a larger sample to ensure the reliability of these results.

KEYWORDS: :

• psychophysiology
• adolescents
• test–retest reliability
• frontal
• asymmetry
• electroencephalogram (EEG)
• alpha power
• electrocardiogram (ECG)
• heart period
• heart rate

Acknowledgements

This study was based on the first author's undergraduate honors thesis conducted under the supervision of the third author. We wish to thank Sue McKee and Jordana Waxman for their help with data collection and to Eliza Pope for her help with data reduction.

Declarations of Interest

The authors report no conflict of interest in regards to this paper. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

This research was supported by operating grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) awarded to the third author.