Use of a simple visual display to reduce eye movement artifacts in CNV recordings.

Abstract Involuntary ocular rotation has been previously reported as being a significant source of artifact in recordings of the contingent negative variation (CNV). Attempts at reducing eye movement by having the subject fixate his gaze have been only partially successful. A technique is described which employs a simple cathode-ray tube display for presentation of both S1 and S2 in the stimulus-response paradigm. By making both stimuli difficult to detect and thus requiring constant attention to the visual display, it was found that involuntary ocular rotations (though not eyeblinks) were virtually eliminated. In CNV studies were stimulus modality is not an independent variable, the stimulus-presentation technique described here should prove superior to others, particularly those involving auditory cues.

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