EEG AND REPRESENTATIONAL SYSTEMS

Abstract - The study, conducted at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute in San Francisco, attempted to correlate eye movements to particular cognitive and neurophysiological processes. Dilts used electrodes to track both the eye movements and brain wave characteristics of 25 subjects who were asked questions related to using the various senses of sight, hearing and feeling for tasks involving both memory ("right brain" processing) and mental construction ("left brain" processing). Recordings of the subject's brain waves were taken as they answered the various questions. Data was gathered for the left and right hemispheres of both the occipital (visual) and central (kinesthetic) areas of the cortex.

A computer analysis was done of the recorded EEG data to assess relevant brain wave changes in the subjects as they responded to the questions. Changes in amplitude for brainwave frequencies between .5 and 20 Hertz were computed and examined for significant shifts, primarily with respect to the alpha band (8-12 HZ). Interpretation of the data tended to confirm other tests (Kinsbourne, 1972; Kocel et al, 1972; and Galin & Ornstein, 1974) which showed that lateralization of eye movements accompanied changes in brain activity during different cognitive tasks. This pattern also seemed to hold for tasks requiring different senses.

Dilts' recordings also suggested that an individual's most highly valued representational modality was reflected in his or her baseline brain wave pattern. Individuals who were primarily visually oriented showed low amplitude beta activity when their eyes were open and alpha spindles when their eyes were closed. Auditory individuals displayed high amplitude beta with intermittent alpha when their eyes were open or closed. Kinesthetically oriented individuals recorded high amplitude alpha waves whether their eyes were either opened or closed (if they were primarily oriented toward their inner feelings), or low amplitude beta with eyes opened or closed (if they were primarily tactile).

Primary Modality	Control Wave Description
Visceral	High amplitude alpha content when eyes are both open and closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily visceral cognitive strategies.
Visual	Low amplitude beta when eyes are open; spindles of alpha of intermediate amplitude when eyes are closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily visual cognitive strategies.
Tactile	Low amplitude beta when eyes are open or closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily tactile cognitive strategies.
Auditory	Higher amplitude beta with intermittent alpha when eyes are open or closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily auditory cognitive strategies.

For information on Robert Dilts’ products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Robert’s Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com.

This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.