The P300 as a marker of waning attention and error propensity

  • Authors:
  • Avijit Datta;Rhodri Cusack;Kari Hawkins;Joost Heutink;Chris Rorden;Ian H. Robertson;Tom Manly

  • Affiliations:
  • Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK and Hull York Medical School, York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, York, UK;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK and Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK and Department of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland;Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK

  • Venue:
  • Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience - EEG/MEG Signal Processing
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Action errors can occur when routine responses are triggered inappropriately by familiar cues. Here, EEG was recorded as volunteers performed a "go/no-go" task of long duration that occasionally and unexpectedly required them to withhold a frequent, routine response. EEG components locked to the onset of relevant go trials were sorted according to whether participants erroneously responded to immediately subsequent no-go trials or correctly withheld their responses. Errors were associated with a significant relative reduction in the amplitude of the preceding P300, that is, a judgement could be made bout whether a response-inhibition error was likely before it had actually occurred. Furthermore, fluctuations in P300 amplitude across the task formed a reliable associate of individual error propensity, supporting its use as a marker of sustained control over action.