title: Psychological predictors of SMR-BCI performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After about 30 years of research on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) there is little knowledge about the phenomenon, that some people - healthy as well as individuals with disease - are not able to learn BCI-control. To elucidate this "BCI-inefficiency" phenomenon, the current study investigated whether psychological parameters, such as attention span, personality or motivation, could predict performance in a single session with a BCI controlled by modulation of sensorimotor rhythms (SMR) with motor imagery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of N=83 healthy BCI novices took part in the session. Psychological parameters were measured with an electronic test-battery including clinical, personality and performance tests. Predictors were determined by binary logistic regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The output variable of the Two-Hand Coordination Test (2HAND) "overall mean error duration" which is a measure for the accuracy of fine motor skills accounted for 11% of the variance in BCI-inefficiency. The Attitudes Towards Work (AHA) test variable "performance level" which can be interpreted as a degree of concentration and a neurophysiological SMR predictor were also identified as significant predictors of SMR BCI performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychological parameters as measured in this study play a moderate role for one-session performance in a BCI controlled by modulation of SMR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology I, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. hammer.eva@gmx.de
authors.forename: Eva Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halder
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blankertz
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sannelli
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dickhaus
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kleih
authors.forename: Klaus-Robert
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kübler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy; D008297:Male; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult