Consumer-Grade EEG Instruments: Insights on the Measurement Quality Based on a Literature Review and Implications for NeuroIS Research

Application of good methodological standards is critical in science because such standards constitute a precondition for high-quality research results. A fundamental question which has recently been raised in the NeuroIS literature is whether consumer-grade electroencephalography (EEG) instruments offer measurement quality that is comparable to research-grade instruments. Importantly, a notable number of EEG papers in the NeuroIS literature already used consumer-grade instruments, predominantly because such tools are typically portable, wireless, cheap, and easy to use. However, there is an ongoing discussion in the scientific community about these tools’ measurement quality. To contribute to this discussion, we reviewed prior research to document major insights on the measurement quality of consumer-grade products. In essence, our results indicate that consumer-grade EEG instruments constitute a viable alternative to high-quality research tools. However, there are two important constraints on their use. First, as with any research, the use of consumer-grade systems is appropriate only when tied to the correct type of analysis. Second, in order to establish more definitive conclusions on consumer-grade systems’ appropriateness, empirical validation studies are needed based on Information Systems (IS) tasks, paradigms, and types of analysis, and several other limiting factors have to be considered.