Event Abstract

Low Frequency EEG and Performance Accuracy in Cued Contexts

  • 1 University of Wollongong, School of Psychology, Australia

Event-related potentials (ERPs) and reaction times (RTs) to stimuli are greatly enhanced when cued. Reductions in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in the cue-stimulus interval have been reported, but few studies have examined these in relation to stimulus-response processes. Delta, theta, alpha, and beta levels occurring immediately prior to cued stimuli were assessed here to determine their effects on post-stimulus ERPs and RTs. Continuous EEGs were recorded (N = 60) during a cued Continuous Performance Test where numbers were visually presented and a button press was required to the Go (9) when preceded by the cue (1). Cued numbers between 0 and 8 were considered as NoGos and were not to be responded to. ERPs for the cued Go/NoGos that were correctly responded to were separated using Principal Components Analyses (PCA). The maximal sites of activity were identified for the four EEG band levels in the 500 ms preceeding Go and NoGo stimuli and for ERP component amplitudes; these were then correlated. RTs were also correlated with EEG levels. EEG activity was found to be dominant across the midline, and the following PCA components were analysed: Go N2c and P3b, and NoGo N2b, P3a, and Slow Wave. A weak negative correlation with prestimulus beta levels was observed for the Go P3b, with no effects for RTs. Greater prestimulus delta and beta levels were associated with enhanced NoGo N2b amplitudes, and more theta activity was weakly linked to larger P3a positivity. These results suggest that EEG at maximal sites as a determining state measure may be suboptimal in cued contexts, and alternate measures, such as the EEG change from cue to the stimulus, should be considered. However, the contributions of delta and theta activity to cognitively controlled aspects of NoGo stimulus processing extend prior findings assessing post-stimulus band activity, and overall performance accuracy.

Keywords: Prestimulus EEG, Event-related potentials, Cueing, cognitive control, Principal Components Analysis (PCA)

Conference: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2015.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Psychophysiology

Citation: Karamacoska D and Barry RJ (2015). Low Frequency EEG and Performance Accuracy in Cued Contexts. Conference Abstract: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.219.00029

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Received: 20 Oct 2015; Published Online: 30 Nov 2015.

* Correspondence: Miss. Diana Karamacoska, University of Wollongong, School of Psychology, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia, d.karamacoska@westernsydney.edu.au