Don't assume that your equipment is doing what you think it is

Abstract

A perennial problem encountered by both novices and experienced people using psychophysiological recording equipment and then using the displays as the basis for biofeedback and neurofeedback is that the equipment is frequently not doing what the users think it is. Hardware and software are frequently glitchy and setting the devices incorrectly makes matters worse. The key question to answer is whether the device reliably produces a display clearly related to the physiological signal produced by the person being recorded. The editorial emphasizes the need to view a raw signal so relationships between the physiology being recorded and the display can be accurately assessed. Seven key questions users of psychophysiological recording and biofeedback/neurofeedback equipment need to answer are delineated. They include: (1) Are the sensors mounted optimally for location and orientation, (2) Are the sensors mounted well enough to pick up a good signal, (3) Is the device’s bandwidth set appropriately, (4) Is there noise in the signal, (5) Does the display accurately reflect changes in the signal, (6) Does the display change when the physiological signal does, and (7) Is the display set so users can accurately assess the signal? Users are encouraged to get the training they need to do a great job when performing recordings.