title: Sequential adjustments before and after partial errors.
abstract: In choice reaction time tasks, subjects speed up before making an error, but slow down afterward to prevent the occurrence of a new error. In some trials, the correct response is preceded by an incorrect electromyographic (EMG) activation too small to reach the response threshold. In this article, we show that these incorrect EMG activations give rise to the same sequential effects as overt errors: Before a trial containing an incorrect EMG activation, subjects speed up, whereas after that trial, they slow down. These activations reflect errors that have been detected, inhibited, and corrected in time. As such, they index the involvement of online executive control.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Médecine Navale du Service de Santé des Armées, Toulon, France. allainsonia@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allain
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burle
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasbroucq
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vidal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D055815:Young Adult