title: Hierarchical effects on target detection and conflict monitoring.
abstract: Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated a hierarchical functional structure of the frontal cortices of the human brain, but the temporal course and the electrophysiological signature of the hierarchical representation remains unaddressed. In the present study, twenty-one volunteers were asked to perform a nested cue-target task, while their scalp potentials were recorded. The results showed that: (1) in comparison with the lower-level hierarchical targets, the higher-level targets elicited a larger N2 component (220-350 ms) at the frontal sites, and a smaller P3 component (350-500 ms) across the frontal and parietal sites; (2) conflict-related negativity (non-target minus target) was greater for the lower-level hierarchy than the higher-level, reflecting a more intensive process of conflict monitoring at the final step of target detection. These results imply that decision making, context updating, and conflict monitoring differ among different hierarchical levels of abstraction.
authors: School of Psychology, JiangXi Normal University, NanChang 330022, P. R. China.
authors: Bihua
authors: B
authors: Cao
authors: Research center of brain and cognitive neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, P. R. China.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Gao
authors: School of Psychology, JiangXi Normal University, NanChang 330022, P. R. China.
authors: Maofang
authors: M
authors: Ren
authors: School of Psychology, JiangXi Normal University, NanChang 330022, P. R. China.|Research center of brain and cognitive neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, P. R. China.
authors: Fuhong
authors: F
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult