title: Effects of training and motivation on auditory P300 brain-computer interface performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology aims at helping end-users with severe motor paralysis to communicate with their environment without using the natural output pathways of the brain. For end-users in complete paralysis, loss of gaze control may necessitate non-visual BCI systems. The present study investigated the effect of training on performance with an auditory P300 multi-class speller paradigm. For half of the participants, spatial cues were added to the auditory stimuli to see whether performance can be further optimized. The influence of motivation, mood and workload on performance and P300 component was also examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  In five sessions, 16 healthy participants were instructed to spell several words by attending to animal sounds representing the rows and columns of a 5 × 5 letter matrix.
  
  
  RESULTS
  81% of the participants achieved an average online accuracy of ⩾ 70%. From the first to the fifth session information transfer rates increased from 3.72 bits/min to 5.63 bits/min. Motivation significantly influenced P300 amplitude and online ITR. No significant facilitative effect of spatial cues on performance was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training improves performance in an auditory BCI paradigm. Motivation influences performance and P300 amplitude.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The described auditory BCI system may help end-users to communicate independently of gaze control with their environment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. Electronic address: ebru.baykara@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baykara
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Silcherstrasse 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ruf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Silcherstrasse 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fioravanti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Käthner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Silcherstrasse 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kleih
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. Electronic address: andrea.kuebler@uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kübler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstrasse 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany; Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8555, Japan. Electronic address: sebastian.halder@uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halder
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D062207:Brain-Computer Interfaces; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Auditory P300; EEG; Motivation; Spatial cues; Spelling; Training effects