A study on brain waves with electroencephalogram through the appreciation of virtual reality K-pop: a revised...

Korean popular culture (K-pop) has become increasingly popular worldwide and the convergence of K-pop and virtual reality (VR) has contributed to the popularity of metaverse technologies. Previous studies on K-pop and VR were largely conducted in the fields of cognitive psychology and qualitative research. Recently, the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and eye-trackers have gained attention.

In this study, EEG analysis was used to evaluate alpha waves, beta waves, and theta/beta ratios of 20 participants who had experienced VR or normal K-pop music video content, and the data analyzed based on the Media Richness Theory. Statistical analyses employed paired t-tests with False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure, and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated to assess practical significance.

The results revealed differences in alpha wave (p <.05), beta wave (p <.05), and theta/beta ratios between the general and VR music video groups. After FDR correction, 11 electrodes showed significant alpha wave differences (d = 0.54-1.51), 13 electrodes showed significant beta wave differences (d = 0.50-1.04), and 8 electrodes showed significant theta/beta ratio differences (d = 0.63-0.87). Alpha waves were higher in the normal music video group, whereas beta waves and the theta/beta ratio were higher in the VR music video group.

The EEG results suggest that VR K-pop music videos are rich in media content, providing more information than normal K-pop music videos. The robustness of findings was confirmed through rigorous statistical correction, with medium to large effect sizes indicating substantial practical significance beyond statistical significance. This approach has the potential to develop a strategy for metaverse K-pop content.