Answer To: Medical and Applied Physiology Experimental Report Name: Student Number: Total Marks: /30 Abstract...
Anju Lata answered on Sep 10 2020
Medical and Applied Physiology Experimental Report 13
Medical and Applied Physiology Experimental Report
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Abstract
The report explains controlled experiment performed in lab to measure the cerebral activity of a group of individuals using different media (scrolling on social media on their cell phone, reading a book on their phones, as well as a physical copy of a book). The experiment interviewed 14 participants of 19-21 years of age, through questionnaire, for analyzing the affect of their mobile use over the frequency of brainwave signaling. The report found the results complying with the hypothesis. The findings prove that reading the books through mobile and browsing the mobiles for social media reduces the concentration of mind. The report presents empirical data recorded from the responses of the participants and analyses the influence of exercise and caffeine on EEG activity of the brain.
Keywords: Experiment; Questionnaire; Brainwave Signaling.
Introduction
With the prevalence of social media in society, people spend more of their time in a virtual world which negatively affects the brain (Jabr,2013). It degrades the memory, makes us tired and prevents us from falling asleep. The Computer-based screens directly flashlight on eyes. The pixels and glare may tire the eyes (Hassoy, Durusoy and Karababa, 2013). Reading the illuminated screen for a longer time may cause blurred vision, headache and eyestrain collectively known as Computer Vision Syndrome (Naeem, 2014). The people are unable to be attentive and to concentrate on the intended text (Keykhosravi et al. 2018). The mobile browsing activities adversely affect the brain, alters the response time and sleeping pattern of the users (Naeem,2014). According to Morgan et al (2015), the radiations of mobile phones, being probable carcinogens, may cause cancer and tumors in the brain.
Scientifically, there is a significant difference in how the brain responds to different media. These deviations specify differences in concentration power, the attention and stress level. When the brain finds it difficult to concentrate over the text, it is less likely that learning will occur. The two main functional areas of the brain specialized in handling sight: the parietal lobe and the occipital lobe are mainly involved in the cerebral activity of brain while reading. Any introduction of new information to the brain, leads to formation of new pathways within the neuron clusters. Similarly, an interaction with new media through selective experience leads to changes in neuronal connection in the brain.
According to Theory of Brain Oscillations, the Electroencephalogram (EEG) is very important to measure the oscillations or wave frequencies in particular areas of the brain by placing a number of electrodes on the scalp (Geske & Goel, 2005). These frequencies are used to interpret different functions of brain like sensory perception, attention, memory, learning and information processing. The EEG recordings of different parts of brain give a real reflection of its functionality and level of overall interactions. The EEG measures four basic states of brain waves:
Beta Waves have a frequency of about 13 waves per second. They are present at highest numbers during the state of normal consciousness, attention, and waking. Their presence shows that the brain is reading, processing and concentrating on certain information mainly in mathematics or language areas. These waves are related to challenging cognitive activities.
Alpha waves denote a condition of less focused and more relaxed information processing generally in the range of 8-13 Waves per Second (wps).
Theta waves are associated with deep sleep and relaxation at a frequency of 4-7 wps.
Delta waves are found in case of loss of conscious attention and deep sleep pattern. They indicate a frequency of less than 4 wps.
When the wave pattern moves from slower Delta waves to faster Alpha waves, it increases attention and awareness. During stressed conditions, the beta activity abruptly increases and alpha power blocks considerably. Several studies reflect that suppression of Theta waves enhances the mental ability of brain. Generally while reading, our brain is in Beta state, however, as we switch to entertainment or social media, it moves towards the alpha state. The browsing through Facebook also refers to the lower alpha state. The mind is not focused, but alert. Eyes searching the matter of interest, perceive it as a more holistic content instead of going into the finer details of each post. Gazing at the illuminant mobile screen for a prolonged period of time also increases the alpha waves and reduces the beta power (Hassoy et al, 2013). Generally, the Beta activity increases when an individual is reading a physical book, compared to digital book and scrolling on social media
Physiologically, if the human brain spontaneously moves from one frequency state to another on the basis of illumination and type of media, it might affect the cognitive ability of brain when we use different media. If the visible interaction with mobile or computer screens for prolonged duration reduces the attention and concentration levels of the brain, it would have serious consequences for the distant learners, as against the traditional textbook learning.
Aim of the Experiment
The study analyzes how the use of these three different media (reading a book on their phone, reading a physical copy of book and just scrolling on the social media on mobile phones) influences the visual processing of the brain. The study analyzes the cerebral activity of the brain by measuring the brainwaves pattern produced while the...