Lecture 3 & 4: Electroencephalography
(EEG) Exam Questions and Answers
100% Pass
What is Electroencephalography (EEG)? - ✔✔A method of detecting neural activity by
placing electrodes on the scalp
How does EEG work? - ✔✔Electrodes pick up small fluctuations of electrical signals,
originating from activity of (mostly cortical) neurons
Nature of electrical signals - ✔✔Very noisy and might not look like much but
systematically related to cognitive processes
How is EEG recorded? - ✔✔Either at the scalp (non-invasive) but also possible to record
intra-cranial EEG by measuring activity directly at the exposed cortex
Logistics of EEG - ✔✔Cheap and (relatively) easy to conduct
Hans Berger (1873-1941) - ✔✔Detected the first EEG signal in 1924 with electrodes
attached to the scalp of a human (his wife) and reported the results in 1929
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 1
, Why did Burger study medicine? - ✔✔Because he was convinced that there is "psychic
energy", which might allow for telepathy
He wanted to discover the objective activity in the brain and "psychic phenomena", but
he did not realise the basis and potential of his discovery at the time
What else did Burger describe? - ✔✔Alpha rhythm: characteristic frequency of electrical
signal when eyes closed
What is the characteristic frequency of alpha rhythm? - ✔✔8-13 Hz
How did Burger measure electrical activity? - ✔✔Initially, he used two electrodes, one
attached to the front of the head and one to the rear, and recorded the potential (i.e.
voltage) difference between them.
Initially, electrodes were silver wires placed under the scalp
Later, sliver foil placed on the scalp
Advantage of EEG - ✔✔Great temporal resolution
Disadvantage of EEG - ✔✔Poor spatial resolution
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 2
(EEG) Exam Questions and Answers
100% Pass
What is Electroencephalography (EEG)? - ✔✔A method of detecting neural activity by
placing electrodes on the scalp
How does EEG work? - ✔✔Electrodes pick up small fluctuations of electrical signals,
originating from activity of (mostly cortical) neurons
Nature of electrical signals - ✔✔Very noisy and might not look like much but
systematically related to cognitive processes
How is EEG recorded? - ✔✔Either at the scalp (non-invasive) but also possible to record
intra-cranial EEG by measuring activity directly at the exposed cortex
Logistics of EEG - ✔✔Cheap and (relatively) easy to conduct
Hans Berger (1873-1941) - ✔✔Detected the first EEG signal in 1924 with electrodes
attached to the scalp of a human (his wife) and reported the results in 1929
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 1
, Why did Burger study medicine? - ✔✔Because he was convinced that there is "psychic
energy", which might allow for telepathy
He wanted to discover the objective activity in the brain and "psychic phenomena", but
he did not realise the basis and potential of his discovery at the time
What else did Burger describe? - ✔✔Alpha rhythm: characteristic frequency of electrical
signal when eyes closed
What is the characteristic frequency of alpha rhythm? - ✔✔8-13 Hz
How did Burger measure electrical activity? - ✔✔Initially, he used two electrodes, one
attached to the front of the head and one to the rear, and recorded the potential (i.e.
voltage) difference between them.
Initially, electrodes were silver wires placed under the scalp
Later, sliver foil placed on the scalp
Advantage of EEG - ✔✔Great temporal resolution
Disadvantage of EEG - ✔✔Poor spatial resolution
Katelyn Whitman, All Rights Reserved © 2025 2
