Electrophysiological correlates of change detection.
To identify electrophysiological correlates of change detection, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants monitored displays containing four faces in order to detect a face identity change across successive displays. Successful change detection was mirrored by an N2pc component at posterior electrodes contralateral to the side of a change, suggesting close links between conscious change detection and attention. ERPs on undetected-change trials differed from detected-change and no-change trials. We suggest that short-latency ERP differences between these trial types reflect trial-by-trial fluctuations in advance task preparation, whereas differences in the P3 time range are due to variations in the duration of perceptual and decision-related processing. Overall, these findings demonstrate that ERPs are a useful tool for dissociating processes underlying change blindness and change detection.
Eimer
Martin
M
School of Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK. m.eimer@bbk.ac.uk
Mazza
Veronica
V
D000328:Adult; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*