Neural Congruence

Neural congruence describes the congruence between the source experience the BCI is encoding brain activity from, and the resulting user experience of the recipient when decoding the output of a BCI system.

For example, if a user feels sad, and the underlying brain activity behind this feeling is encoded and represented on a screen as a sad face, what is the similarity between the feeling that generated that sad face, and the feeling one would experience when looking at it? That extent of similarity, or neural congruence is the focus of this axis.

Low Congruence (Semiotic)

Low neural congruence systems use signs and symbols that are abstractly representative of brain activity which users must consciously process. The benefit of this is that it is easier to draw understandable and actionable inferences from the information, at the expense of being able to produce a visceral embodied experience of that information in the recipient

High Congruence (Engramic)

High neural congruence systems activate specific neural pathways in the brain which users unconsciously subsume into their own natural neural processes. The benefit of this is that the recipient is provided with a visceral embodied experience of the information being transmitted with a high sense of ownership over the experience, at the expense of being able to draw clear and understandable inferences from the information.

Semiotic

Engramic

Tip: The tech being used to give feedback can sometimes determine the systems congruence. For example, visualization often lends itself to semiotic experience and neurostimulation to engramic experiences. Note, there are exeptions, such as using flashing light to trigger brain oscillations, or using neurostimulation to trigger visual halucinations. Congurence is ultimatly determined by the end result, not the modality.