Exploring the Difference in Brain Activities under Three Distinct Tasks: Listening to Music, Gaming, and Learning

This study is a pilot for future research on building an automated predictive model in order to assist students' learning process in a real-time adaptive learning system. The goal of this study is to understand the relationship between individual brainwave patterns and their cognitive states (i.e. relaxation, attention, meditations and anxiety) when providing adaptive learning systems. This study conducted panel regression model to analyze the relationship between individual brainwave signals in association with the three different tasks. The results of this study first shown that the participants' tension, alertness or agitation under the Listening to Music, Gaming and Learning cannot be identified differently in this study. Secondly, it shown that the participants' the slower frequencies range of brainwave and low-level alertness states under the listening to the alpha (α) music video or heavy metal/rock music video are different from playing an exciting game, learning a subject, or taking a quiz. Thirdly, their emotional states when the playing a game that required to solve a puzzle is also different from Listening to Music. Fourth, their feeling of relaxation states under the activities of the listening relax music video and having a quiz are different. Finally, when they are playing a game that require them to think or solve a puzzle has different brainwave signals from higher mental activities when learning a subject. The limitation and future study of this study is also discussed.