Temporal course and the electrophysiological correlates of hypothesis testing as revealed in a modified category induction task.
The present study used a modified category induction task to examine the brain activation that occurs when a person receives the result of hypothesis testing (HT). Participants were provided with a number of different batteries and were asked to learn what kinds of batteries were charged. Within each trial, two batteries were sequentially displayed, and a preliminary hypothesis could be formed based on the perceptual comparison. A third battery was then displayed that served to strengthen, reject or maintain the preliminary hypothesis. Finally, a probe appeared for three seconds or terminated with a response. The behavioral results revealed that the highest accuracies and the quickest responses occurred for the Strengthen condition compared with the two other conditions. The electrophysiological results, which were time-locked to the third batteries, showed that (1) the posterior sites were selectively activated in response to the critical property of a hypothesis; (2) during the time window of P300, the central areas were activated, reflecting the process of matching the test stimulus to the representation of a hypothesis; and (3) during the late time window, an enhanced hypothesis-rejection-related potential was found over the fronto-central sites, which suggested that the preliminary hypothesis had been evaluated and the cognitive context had been updated.
Li
Fuhong
F
Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Cao
Bihua
B
Gao
Xuemei
X
Xiao
Feng
F
Qing
Jialan
J
Li
Hong
H
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult