Evoked

Evoked is the past participle of evoke. In general usage, to evoke means to bring or recall a feeling, memory, image, or response; to evoke a mood is to cause it to arise in someone. The term can describe stimuli that provoke a response or associations that are brought to mind.

In neuroscience and physiology, evoked potentials are brain responses that are time-locked to a sensory, cognitive, or motor event. They are typically recorded with electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG). Common types include auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). They are used in clinical diagnostics and research to assess sensory pathways and cortical function, for example in vision testing or coma prognosis.

In psychology and marketing, evoked appears in phrases like evoked set and evoked response. An evoked set is the subset of brands a consumer can recall from memory at the moment of decision, shaping initial consideration. An evoked response refers to a reaction elicited by a specific stimulus, as distinct from spontaneous or baseline activity.

Etymology: from French evoquer, from Latin evocare, meaning "to call forth." The word has been used in English since the 16th century.