Two varieties of long-latency positive waves evoked by unpredictable auditory stimuli in manDeux varieties d'ondes positives de longue latence evoquees par des stimuli auditifs non predictibles chez l'homme

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Abstract

Two distinct late-positive components of the scalp-recorded auditory evoked potential were identified which differed in their latency, scalp topography and psychological correlates. The earlier component, called “P3a” (latency about 240 msec), was elicited by infrequent, unpredictable shifts of either intensity or frequency in a train of tone pips whether the subject was ignoring (reading a book) or attending to the tones (countint). The later component, called “P3b” (mean latency about 350 msec), occurred only when the subject was actively attending to the tones; it was evoked by the infrequent, unpredictable stimulus shifts, regardless of whether the subject was counting that stimulus or the more frequently occurring stimulus. Both of these distinct psychophysiological entities have previously been referred to as the “P3” or “P300” in the literature.

Résumé

Deux composantes positives tardives distinctes du potentiel évoqué auditif enregitré sur le scalp ont été identifiées, qui diffèrent par leur latence, leur topographie sur le scalp et leur corrélat psychologique. La composante plus précoce, appelée “P3a” (latence d'environ 240 msec) est provoquée par des variations peu fréquentes et non prédictibles soit de l'intensité soit de la fréquence d'un train de pips sonores, que le sujet les ignore (parce qu'il est en train de lire un livre), ou qu'il soit attentif à ces sons (parce qu'il les compte). La composante plus tardive, appelée “P3b” (latence moyenne d'environ 350 msec) ne survient que lorsque le sujet fait activement attention aux sons; elle est évoquée par des variations peu fréquentes et imprédictibles du stimulus, que le sujet compte ce stimulus ou les stimuli survenant plus fréquemment. Ces deux entités psychophysiologiques distinctes ont été préalablement recensées dans la littérature sous les sigles de “P3” ou “P300”.

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    This research was supported by NASA grant NGR 05-009-198 to Robert Galambos and NIH Grants MH 25594 to S. Hillyard and NS 07454 to Donald Norman, who provided the experimental facilities. It was conducted while the first author was a Sloan Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow.

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    Present address: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Ill. 61820.

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