Abstract
Binaural beats are an auditory phenomenon that has been suggested to alter physiological and cognitive processes including vigilance and brainwave entrainment. Some personality traits measured by the NEO Five Factor Model have been found to alter entrainment using pulsing light stimuli, but as yet no studies have examined if this occurs using steady state presentation of binaural beats for a relatively short presentation of two minutes. This study aimed to examine if binaural beat stimulation altered vigilance or cortical frequencies and if personality traits were involved. Thirty-one participants were played binaural beat stimuli designed to elicit a response at either the Theta (7 Hz) or Beta (16 Hz) frequency bands while undertaking a zero-back vigilance task. EEG was recorded from a high-density electrode cap. No significant differences were found in vigilance or cortical frequency power during binaural beat stimulation compared to a white noise control period. Furthermore, no significant relationships were detected between the above and the Big Five personality traits. This suggests a short presentation of steady state binaural beats are not sufficient to alter vigilance or entrain cortical frequencies at the two bands examined and that certain personality traits were not more susceptible than others.
Highlights
Produced modulation of cortical frequencies can be witnessed via electrophysiological recordings using simple stimuli such as light oscillating at a stable frequency [1] or acoustics such as human speech or consistent tones [2,3]
There were significant positive correlations found between C and N (r = .45, p =,.01), C and E (r = .45, p =,.05), Theta and Beta binaural beat stimulation reaction times (r = .39, p =,.01) and Control reaction times during Theta (r = .49, p =,.01) and Beta (r = .91, p =,.01) conditions. These results suggest that personality traits as measured by the NEO do not alter susceptibility to binaural beat induced increases in vigilance
This study aimed to determine if binaural beats presented at frequencies corresponding to Beta (16 Hz) and Theta (7 Hz) could alter the cognitive faculty of attention through a vigilance task, if they could be used to entrain the brain to their particular resonance, and if personality traits as measured by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) mediated either of the previous variables
Summary
Produced modulation of cortical frequencies can be witnessed via electrophysiological recordings using simple stimuli such as light oscillating at a stable frequency [1] or acoustics such as human speech or consistent tones [2,3]. The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality [10] identifies five traits of personality; Neuroticism (N), Extraversion (E), Openness to Experience (O), Agreeableness (A) and Contentiousness (C) and has been subject to a large amount of study examining possible electrophysiological relationships [11,12,13]. In a study by Stough et al [13] photic driving was used to examine correlates of personality traits and entrainment. They found the personality traits O and C were associated with increased Theta and Beta activity across the cortex, while A showed a positive correlation in left central and temporal areas. No baseline period was used, so the results could be due to naturally higher levels of oscillatory activity in some personality traits, regardless of any task or stimulus
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
