Triple Process Theory and EEG Frequency Band Power: Metacognitive Brain Activity in Open Design

Abstract In this study, we investigated EEG frequency band power associated with spontaneous, deliberate, and metacognitive process differences based on a Triple Process Theory. Results reveal a significant main effect of process type for alpha 1, alpha 2, and beta 1 frequencies from EEG measurements. Metacognitive processes show higher power for these frequency bands across all the channels. These preliminary results lead us to postulate that metacognitive processes may play an important role in mediating cognitive effort by sustaining the balance between the oscillatory brain activity of spontaneous and deliberate processes while designing.