What method uses electrodes to assess brain activity in response to stimuli?

The method that uses electrodes to assess brain activity in response to stimuli is primarily referenced as event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs are derived from electroencephalography (EEG) and involve placing electrodes on the scalp to measure the brain's electrical activity in response to specific sensory, cognitive, or motor events. This technique allows researchers to track the timing of brain responses to stimuli with high temporal resolution, making it particularly useful for studying how the brain processes different types of information.

While electroencephalography itself also involves the use of electrodes to measure brain activity, it does not necessarily focus on specific stimuli in the way that ERPs do. Functional MRI, on the other hand, measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow and does not utilize electrodes. Positron emission tomography, too, involves the use of radioactive tracers to assess metabolic processes and does not directly measure electrical activity via electrodes. Thus, event-related potentials stand out as the method specifically aimed at measuring the brain's electrical response to stimuli using electrodes.