title: Improving data retention in EEG research with children using child-centered eye tracking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Event Related Potentials (ERPs) elicited by visual stimuli have increased our understanding of developmental disorders and adult cognitive abilities for decades; however, these studies are very difficult with populations who cannot sustain visual attention such as infants and young children. Current methods for studying such populations include requiring a button response, which may be impossible for some participants, and experimenter monitoring, which is subject to error, highly variable, and spatially imprecise.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed a child-centered methodology to integrate EEG data acquisition and eye-tracking technologies that uses "attention-getters" in which stimulus display is contingent upon the child's gaze. The goal was to increase the number of trials retained. Additionally, we used the eye-tracker to categorize and analyze the EEG data based on gaze to specific areas of the visual display, compared to analyzing based on stimulus presentation.
  The number of trials retained was substantially improved using the child-centered methodology compared to a button-press response in 7-8 year olds. In contrast, analyzing the EEG based on eye gaze to specific points within the visual display as opposed to stimulus presentation provided too few trials for reliable interpretation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By using the linked EEG-eye-tracker we significantly increased data retention. With this method, studies can be completed with fewer participants and a wider range of populations. However, caution should be used when epoching based on participants' eye gaze because, in this case, this technique provided substantially fewer trials.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, United States. Electronic address: mandy.maguire@utdallas.edu.
authors.forename: Mandy J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, United States.
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magnon
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Dallas, United States.
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fitzhugh
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Children; EEG; Eye tracking