Identify Subconscious Visual Response from Brain Signals

Conference Paper · December 2017

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H.T. M. A. Riyadh AZM Ehtesham Chowdhury

American International University-Bangladesh American International University-Bangladesh
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Identify Subconscious Visual Response from Brain Signals

H. T. M. A. Riyadh ✉ , Jahangir Hossain Bhuyain, Zehara Zebin,

( )

Khandaker Tabin Hasan, and A. Z. M. Ehtesham Chowdhury

American International University-Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
moon_aiub@live.com, jahangir407@outlook.com, zebin13@gmail.com,
{tabin,ehtesham}@aiub.edu

Abstract. Subconsciously, humans can recognize objects and events from

various depths of memory. When such things are experienced, our brain responds
with certain signals. In this research, we have identified specific bands of signals
that become distinct while experiencing memorized visual objects in short bursts
of time. Rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of images where recognition
time is less than the time taken for conscious visual recognition of target images
are about 13 ms/image. Subconscious reflection has a relationship with retinal
response particularly in pupil dilation. So, we have assumed that the occipital
lobe, that is responsible for our sight, visual stimuli and recalling old memories,
gives a retinal response and is associated with the memorized object of interest.
A set of 200 grayscale images, including the image of interest, were presented
for 6 to 12 ms intervals, in RSVP series, to human subjects. When the target
image(s) slides change, subconsciously, the retina responds in connection with
neural activities. These neural activities are the action of neurons and generate
neural signals. Those were captured through an EEG device. Analyzing the
behavior and the amplitude of the EEG signals, we have found that the subcon‐
scious visual response has a very high frame rate.

Keywords: RSVP · Recognition · Identification · Retinal response

Subconscious · Memorized object

1 Introduction

In our visual world, identification and recognition is a complex workout for the brain.
As the brain extracts information, by continually taking visual input from the eyes, it
identifies an object and then recognizes that particular object by giving a decision
[1, 2]. Every day (from birth), consciously or unconsciously, we experience a lot of
things that we can hardly remember. This doesn’t mean that we forget it or our brain
doesn’t store it [3]. All of the information we experience, stores in our subconscious
mind, which is a virtually unlimited store house of memory.
We recognize a thing, when the information is processed and then sent to the central
nervous system say frontal lobes [4], particularly in ventral prefrontal lobe [5, 6] where
it is recognized and gives us a decision whether we recognize it or not. We cannot
consciously recognize things (i.e. an image), that pass our sight at ultra-high speeds.

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018

W. Karwowski and T. Ahram (eds.), Intelligent Human Systems Integration,
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 722,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73888-8_43
 Identify Subconscious Visual Response from Brain Signals 275

When we observe something consciously, our brain takes time for converting the light
signal into the electrical signal [1], extract the information, interpret and then give us
the decision. Therefore, in these cases, our subconscious mind supplies the information
from the previous memory [7]. Previously [2, 8] shows that consciously we can’t recog‐
nize a particular image or images of interest from ultra-slide speed less than 13 ms per
picture. However, our subconscious mind can identify what we see. Here is the rela‐
tionship between subconscious mind and our visual system. Our subconscious mind
always triggers in every occurrence we experience [9]. Authors in [10] show that uncon‐
scious memories hide in the brain and can be triggered and retrieved. Interesting and
enjoyable events also recall old memories from the subconscious mind and therefore
there is a signal reflection on the brain. These reflections can be identified or measured
by analyzing the EEG signals.
Our work is focused on the subconscious response of the human brain while viewing
an ultra-high speed (RSVP) slideshow of images. In this research, we analyzed the
impact of the human vision system on subconscious mind accordingly subconscious
response.

2 Background Study

To keep pace with the surroundings, the human brain continuously takes in inputs
through its scenes from the environment. Our eye moves three to four times in a second
to update the information and makes sense of our visual understanding [2]. This fixation
or movement of the eye is the command of our brain’s nervous system. The relationship
between retinal response and its action was noticed and identified in 1850 by Darwin
and was called pupillometry [11, 12]. The visual information, in the neural responses,
using a linear stimulus reconstruction method, observed that both burst and tonic spikes
carried information about stimulus contrast, exceeding one bit per action potential for
the highest variance stimuli [13]. To understand the visual input and match it with the
information provided by the brain, takes less time to perceive a scene than eye fixation
duration [2, 8]. In the meantime, our visual system executes various numbers of complex
tasks, such as measuring the light, detecting the visual object and categorization,
assessing distances to and between objects and finally making a decision of body move‐
ment. in accordance with these measurements known as visual perception [14]. Most of
our visual perception is executed in the Occipital Lobe [15] more to say as Brodmann’s
area-17 which is the part of the primary visual cortex. The main functionalities of the
occipital lobe is processing the visual input and interpreting our vision, helping us to
make some visual memories and integrating it to make a full perception [15] and iden‐
tifying color properties, known faces or objects, that it observed previously [16]. Our
visual information is converted into electrical signals before transmitting to the brain
from retinal ganglion [6, 17]. More than a century ago, electrical activity of the brain
was discovered by Caton [18] and is popularly known as the electroencephalogram or
EEG. In 1920, Berger demonstrated that EEG signals could be recorded from the human
brain [19]. Adrian and Mathews in 1934 found that the EEG is generated from the
Occipital Lobes [20]. Therefore, there is a relationship between our visual perception
276 H. T. M. A. Riyadh et al.

and electrical activities of the brain. Neuron cells have some electrical properties,
containing an electrical charge. In the brain, the electric and the magnetic fields are
generated by the activities of neuron cells [21]. Egelhaaf in 2002 [22], claimed that it is
now possible, on the fly, to assess adaptations that process visual motion information
under the constraints of its natural input. The magnitudes of focal activations, in the
right prefrontal cortex and in the bilateral Parahippocampal cortex, predicted which
photographs were later remembered well, less well, or forgotten [3, 23].

3 General Method

In our experiment, we collected two types of data: EEG signals with a sampling rate 128
SPS and the system time according to every single image appearance on the screen. We
used the application, Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP), for image sliding and an
EEG device (Emotive Epoc+, 14 channel). We also used 4 distinct datasets. Each
dataset, having 200 grayscale human facial images, having an aspect ratio of 650 × 450.
For each data set: 195 images from Google open source and 5 favorite images given by
the participant. They were mixed manually and position numbers were assigned for
images unaware by the participant.

3.1 Participants

In our experiment, the participants, called ‘Test Subjects’, are volunteers of 20–40 year
olds and non-paid participants. There were 20 participants, 10 males and 10 females.
None of the test subjects participated in more than one experiment at a stretch. The
resting period between two consecutive experiments was 10 min and during the experi‐
ment, no other participant was present in the lab. We also measured the primary health
condition of our participants. Their blood pressure: Normal, Eyesight: Normal (6/6). All
participants were self-reported as “normal” in emotional condition. The experiment took
place in a computer lab at American International University-Bangladesh.

3.2 Experimental Environment Setup

Our brain gives a response to little changes of environment i.e. sound, temperature,
airflow and mostly light (i.e. rod and cone cell). To ensure the least impact on the
experiment, we tried to reach the Ideal Experimental Environment. We define our Ideal
Experimental Environment as follows: Room temperature about 21 [According to
the West Midlands Public Health Observatory (UK)]; Humidity about 38–40%; Sound
level 60 db; the room was normally illuminated. Light level 50–100 lux.

3.3 Subject Preparation

Before starting the experiment, we conducted a session called subject preparation
session. In this session, we asked the subject to choose or give us at least 10 images of
their favorite actor/actress and then asked them to select the best 5 images among them.
 Identify Subconscious Visual Response from Brain Signals 277

After selecting the best 5 images, we encouraged the subject to think about the image
for 5 min. During the session, we provided them a fully tension-free and ideal-room
environment.

3.4 Procedure
Wearing the EEG head set, a participant viewed a RSVP of 4 distinctive sets of 200
images with 4 different ISIs (Inter Stimulus Interval) timing (6 ms, 8 ms, 10 ms, 12 ms)
and images were showed in the center of the monitor. Therefore, this experiment
contains a dataset of 200 images and fixed ISI i.e. 6 ms. Thus, we conducted four
experiment sessions, for one participant, using 4 different ISI for 4 datasets. After
completing each RSVP of image’s slide show, we saved the EEG data and exported
CSV file containing system time of the appearance of each image from the RSVP slide.
From the EEG data, we only took the output of Occipital Lobe: O1 and O2 region. After
a 10-min break, the next RSVP started with another ISI. For positioning the EEG headset,
we followed the International 10/20 System [12]. After completing each experiment,
we had two types of data: EEG and the system time of both appearances of each image
and each sample of EEG along with the index number against each system time. Finally,
we exported the CSV file to the MATLAB and went with some procedures: (1) the min-
max method to cut off the lowest value from each of the sample values of the EEG data,
(2) normalization to eliminate data redundancy, (3) plotting of graph using the Gaussian
Filter. (4) plotting the system time of the appearance of each image in the X axis in the
same graph. (5) analysis framework to visualize the correlation between human subcon‐
scious reflection on the brain and the visual response while viewing an ultra-fast image
slideshow.

4 Analyses and Result

In the data analysis, we have examined that at the time of the appearance of the selected
image(s), and exactly at that time, the subject had a visual perception as well as a retinal
response [6]. This gave a resonance in neuron and an identical peak in the EEG signal.
Repeated measure analyses of the EEG signals and system times were carried out on
individual participants for ISI of 6 ms, 8 ms, 10 ms, and 12 ms. After the analysis, it was
observed that below the time interval (ISI) of 13 ms, we found some EEG peaks along
with some other responses which were a false positive. In Fig. 1, we drew the time
spectrum of the appearance of a single favorite image and observed that at 8 ms ISI, the
selected image appeared at index no. 5 but we had gotten the visual response, a peak
(for retinal dilation) just after 2 ms. It was also observed that at the index number 30 in
the X-axis, we also had gotten a false positive response.
278 H. T. M. A. Riyadh et al.

Fig. 1. Section of 50 ms time duration using 8 ms ISI, selected image at index 5

In Figs. 1 and 2, we used the Gaussian Filter (blue line) and Normalization (red line).
By observing the 10 ms ISI in Fig. 2, a peak was found just after the appearance of the
selected favorite image.

Fig. 2. Section of 16 ms time duration using 10 ms ISI.

Thus, we conclude, that as the subject viewed an ultra-speed image slider and at that
high speed, consciously a single image was not identifiable but we got an EEG peak, so
there was an occurrence of subconscious retinal response, which gave response and
created neural activity in brain. Therefore, we got the peak of the EEG signal due to the
subconscious visual response.

5 Conclusion and Discussion

Due to the process cycling of the machine, a timing error occurred in RSVP. We have
checked every actual timing and it was the 0.36 ms delay in every 10 ms. Thus, our
timing error rate was 3.6%. The human brain is too sensitive to give a response to a little
change of environment or its current state, thus the EEG is also very sensitive, that also
affects our results.
 Identify Subconscious Visual Response from Brain Signals 279

Acknowledgments. Foremost, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the volunteers
who participated in this nonpaid research and gave us their valuable time in cooperation with us.

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