The error-related negativity associated with different strength of stimulus–response interference

OBJECTIVE The present study was aimed at clarifying the effect of stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) interference on the ERN. METHODS We compared ERNs in two tasks differing in the level of interference, an arrow (AR) task classified as a Simon task and a more complex arrow-orientation (AO) task classified as a spatial-Stroop task. We also compared ERNs between partial errors (with initial incorrect movement corrected by a proper full response) and overt (uncorrected) errors. RESULTS Behavioral response time and error rate indicated that both interference and ERN amplitude were larger for the AO task than for the AR task. There was no significant difference in the ERN amplitude between the partial and overt errors. CONCLUSIONS The ERN becomes larger as a function of the SRC interference. SIGNIFICANCE Our study presented evidence that the ERN may represent response-monitoring associated with the SRC interference.

[1]  N. Yeung,et al.  On the ERN and the significance of errors. , 2005, Psychophysiology.

[2]  S. Kornblum.  Dimensional overlap and dimensional relevance in stimulus-response and stimulus-stimulus compatibility. , 1992 .

[3]  J. Zacks.  Neuroimaging Studies of Mental Rotation: A Meta-analysis and Review , 2008, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[4]  Jan R. Wessel,et al.  Modulation of the error-related negativity by response conflict. , 2009, Psychophysiology.

[5]  C. Carter,et al.  The Timing of Action-Monitoring Processes in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex , 2002, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[6]  Clay B. Holroyd,et al.  Error-related scalp potentials elicited by hand and foot movements: evidence for an output-independent error-processing system in humans , 1998, Neuroscience Letters.

[7]  F. Vidal,et al.  Is the ‘error negativity’ specific to errors? , 2000, Biological Psychology.

[8]  J. R. Simon,et al.  Auditory S-R compatibility: the effect of an irrelevant cue on information processing. , 1967, The Journal of applied psychology.

[9]  K. Kiehl,et al.  Error processing and the rostral anterior cingulate: an event-related fMRI study. , 2000, Psychophysiology.

[10]  J. Hohnsbein,et al.  Event-related potential correlates of errors in reaction tasks. , 1995, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology. Supplement.

[11]  G Mulder,et al.  A psychophysiological study of the use of partial information in stimulus-response translation. , 1992, Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance.

[12]  C. Braun,et al.  Event-Related Brain Potentials Following Incorrect Feedback in a Time-Estimation Task: Evidence for a Generic Neural System for Error Detection , 1997, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[13]  F. Valle-Inclán,et al.  The locus of interference in the Simon effect: an ERP study , 1996, Biological Psychology.

[14]  Michael Falkenstein,et al.  Errors, Conflicts, and the Brain , 2004 .

[15]  W. Gehring,et al.  Functions of the Medial Frontal Cortex in the Processing of Conflict and Errors , 2001, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[16]  Thomas Pinkpank,et al.  Does the error negativity reflect response conflict strength? Evidence from a Simon task. , 2007, Psychophysiology.

[17]  M. Botvinick,et al.  Anterior cingulate cortex, error detection, and the online monitoring of performance. , 1998, Science.

[18]  E. Donchin,et al.  Optimizing the use of information: strategic control of activation of responses. , 1992, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[19]  B. Burle,et al.  Error negativity on correct trials: a reexamination of available data , 2003, Biological Psychology.

[20]  H. Masaki,et al.  An electrophysiological study of the locus of the interference effect in a stimulus-response compatibility paradigm. , 2000, Psychophysiology.

[21]  E. Donchin,et al.  Event-related brain potentials and error-related processing: an analysis of incorrect responses to go and no-go stimuli. , 1996, Psychophysiology.

[22]  Sidney J. Segalowitz,et al.  Individual differences and developmental change in the ERN response: implications for models of ACC function , 2009, Psychological research.

[23]  D. Meyer,et al.  A Neural System for Error Detection and Compensation , 1993 .

[24]  J. Hohnsbein,et al.  Effects of crossmodal divided attention on late ERP components. II. Error processing in choice reaction tasks. , 1991, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[25]  M. Falkenstein,et al.  Does the error negativity reflect the degree of response conflict? , 2006, Brain Research.

[26]  E Donchin,et al.  A new method for off-line removal of ocular artifact. , 1983, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[27]  M G Coles,et al.  A brain potential manifestation of error-related processing. , 1995, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology. Supplement.

[28]  M. Coles,et al.  Performance monitoring in a confusing world: error-related brain activity, judgments of response accuracy, and types of errors. , 2000, Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance.

[29]  Hiroaki Masaki,et al.  Affective-motivational influences on feedback-related ERPs in a gambling task , 2006, Brain Research.

[30]  M. Coles.  Modern mind-brain reading: psychophysiology, physiology, and cognition. , 1989, Psychophysiology.

[31]  Clay B. Holroyd,et al.  Why is there an ERN/Ne on correct trials? Response representations, stimulus-related components, and the theory of error-processing , 2001, Biological Psychology.

[32]  B. Kopell,et al.  The Stroop effect: brain potentials localize the source of interference. , 1981, Science.

[33]  Arnaud Delorme,et al.  EEGLAB: an open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis , 2004, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[34]  Jonathan D. Cohen,et al.  The neural basis of error detection: conflict monitoring and the error-related negativity. , 2004, Psychological review.

[35]  Adrian R. Willoughby,et al.  The Medial Frontal Cortex and the Rapid Processing of Monetary Gains and Losses , 2002, Science.

[36]  S. Segalowitz,et al.  Error detection in patients with lesions to the medial prefrontal cortex: an ERP study , 2004, Neuropsychologia.

[37]  Borís Burle,et al.  Error Negativity Does Not Reflect Conflict: A Reappraisal of Conflict Monitoring and Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity , 2008, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[38]  Herbert Heuer,et al.  Different error types and error processing in spatial stimulus-response-compatibility tasks: behavioural and electrophysiological data , 2000, Biological Psychology.

[39]  J. Ford.  Schizophrenia: the broken P300 and beyond. , 1999, Psychophysiology.

[40]  J. Stroop.  Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. , 1992 .