Evaluation of flashing stimuli shape and colour heterogeneity using a P300 brain-computer interface speller

Abstract

Objective: Previous works using a visual P300-based speller have reported an improvement modifying the shape or colour of the presented stimulus. However, the effects of both blended factors have not been yet studied. Thus, the aim of the present work was to study both factors and assess the interaction between them. Method: Fifteen naïve participants tested four different spellers in a calibration and online task. All spellers were similar except the employed illumination of the target stimulus: white letters, white blocks, coloured letters, and coloured blocks. Results: The block-shaped conditions offered an improvement versus the letter-shaped conditions in the calibration (accuracy) and online (accuracy and correct commands per minute) tasks. Analysis of the P300 waveform showed a larger difference between target and no target stimulus waveforms for the block-shaped conditions versus the letter-shaped. The hypothesis regarding the colour heterogeneity of the stimuli was not found at any level of the analysis. Conclusion: The use of block-shaped illumination demonstrated a better performance than the standard letter-shaped flashing stimuli in classification performance, correct commands per minute, and P300 waveform. Significance: This is the first study combining block-shaped and colour factors, offering an exhaustive evaluation of both.