Patent ID: 7570991

Claim:
A method of determining whether a test subject possesses a sufficiently positive attitude to perform a predefined task with a second subject who is known to the test subject comprising: a) determining from a first electroencephalograph (EEG) of the test subject recorded over a first period of time if the subject is alert enough to proceed to step b) of the method, and if so, proceeding to step b); b) recording a second EEG over a second period of time from the test subject wherein the second EEG is recorded using a bilateral electrode with one pole of the bilateral electrode positioned over the left cerebral hemisphere (LCH) of the test subjects' brain and with another pole of the bilateral electrode positioned over the light cerebral hemisphere (RCH) of the test subjects' brain; c) exposing the specific individual during the second period of time to a first series of visual images, the first series comprising at least one image of the face of the second subject and at least four images not of the face of the second subject, and quantitating (a) the amplitude of a P300 waveform evoked by the image of the face of the second subject and (b) the level of alpha and beta wave activity in the test subject during the second period of time; d) determining from the amplitude of the P300 waveform if the second subject is known to the test subject; e) recording a third EEG over a third period of time from the test subject; f) exposing the test subject during the third period of time to a second series of visual images which images are predetermined not to evoke a P300 response in a population of test subjects and quantitating the level of alpha and beta wave activity in the test subject during the third period of time so as to determine baseline line alpha and beta wave activity; g) subtracting the baseline alpha and beta wave activity quantitated in step f) from the alpha and beta wave activity, respectively, quantitated in step c) so as to produce corrected alpha and beta activity levels; h) determining the ratio of corrected alpha wave activity to corrected beta wave activity, i) determining if the ratio of corrected alpha wave activity to corrected beta wave activity is higher in the LCH of the test subject or the RCH of the test subject, wherein a higher alpha/beta ratio in the LCH indicates that the test subject has a sufficiently positive attitude to perform the predefined task with the second subject, and wherein a higher alpha/beta ratio in the RCH indicates that the test subject does not have a sufficiently positive attitude to perform the predefined task with the second subject.