Event Models
I am using EEG to test event model theories of narrative comprehension.
In case you are not familiar with this I can explain:
While most theories of narrative comprehension agree that it requires mental representations,
Event cognition centers these mental representations around the sub-events of narrative.
These events, and their mental models, roughly correspond to the actions of the characters
which have clear beginnings and ends.
These event model theories, combined with fMRI evidence, has lead to certain
hypotheses about what the brain is doing to support these event models.
The neurocognitive processes in question surround the binding and storage of event models in memory.
As part of my thesis research, I designed a study to apply time-frequency analysis of EEG in order to
look for neural effects of event model construction as people listen to folktales.
Spoiler alert-- we found effects!
Please email me for a copy of my PhD thesis, or for posters detailing our findings.
This is an exciting application of EEG to cognitive research.
I imagine there are many applications to education, psychology, and art.
For more on Event models check out Event Cognition (2014) by Radvansky and Zacks
