Applying Mobile EEG to Measure Attention and Reading Time for Picture Books

Abstract

People use the five senses to receive external information. These senses are used to communicate with the external world during reading development in children. Picture books with various types of sensory stimuli are frequently used as reading materials to help children learn effectively. The objective of this study is to examine various types of sensory stimuli of picture books, including visual perception (i.e. Conventional Book), and audial and visual perceptions (i.e. Talking Book). In addition, this study attempts to explore the relationship among attention, sensory stimuli and reading time of children with different ages. A mobile electroencephalography (EEG) device has been adopted in this experiment to analyze the correlation between attention and reading time of children who are reading various types of sensory stimuli of picture books. The result reveals that the students in lower grades exhibit spend a significantly longer time reading Conventional Book (visual sensory) than the students in upper grades do. Furthermore, age significantly influences attention and reading time in visual perception. Attention and reading time of the upper grades are significantly and positively correlated, indicating that the executive function of attention and reading ability improve with age. This study has provided a useful mechanism to examine the attention and sensory stimuli in reading that could be as a reference on how to improve the reading performance.