P3 varies with stimulus categorization rather than probability

doi:10.1016/0013-4694(93)90135-I

Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology

Volume 86, Issue 6, June 1993, Pages 395-407

https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(93)90135-I Get rights and content

Abstract

We examined the relationship between P3 amplitude elicited by different auditory task stimuli and response-defined categorization requirements. Two experiments were conducted which examined the effects of the categorization of tone pitches (experiment 1) and spoken digits (experiment 2) on P3 amplitude. The categorization requirements were the same in both experiments.

Two patterns of results were found in experiment 1: first, when subjects had to categorize an end term within the stimulus scale the largest P3 middle tone pitch was required, P3 amplitudes were smallest for the middle tone pitch and increased in amplitude at both ends of the stimulus amplitudes were elicited by this stimulus. Secondly, when all tone pitches had to be categorized separately or when the categorization of the scale. Different patterns of results were found in experiment 2. When subjects had to categorize 1 out of 5 spoken digits the largest P3 amplitudes were elicited by this digit no matter which position it had on the stimulus scale. In addition, only negligible P3s were found in the condition in which each of the digits had to be categorized separately.

It is argued (i) that spoken words yield a higher degree of distinctiveness than tone pitches and (ii) that P3 amplitude is related to the probability of response-defined task categories only to the extent that stimuli can easily be assigned to categories.

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¹: We wish to thank W. Dehoff and B. Minuth for their support during data acquisition and G. Freude and M. Mölle for their assistance during data analysis. The helpful comments of three anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.

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Main articleP3 varies with stimulus categorization rather than probability

Abstract

Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.

Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.

Cogn. Psychol.

Cognition

Int. J. Psychophysiology

J. mem. Lang.

Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.

Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.

Int. J. Psychophysiol.

Biol. Psychol.

P3 waves to the discrimination of targets in homogenous and heterogenous stimulus sequences

Psychophysiology

Surprise!… surprise?

Psychophysiology

Is the P300 component a manifestation of context updating?

Behav. Brain Sci.

The use of event-related potentials in the study of memory: is P300 a measure of event distinctiveness?

Cognition and event-related potentials. II. The orienting reflex and P300

P300 and recall in an incidental memory paradigm

Psychophysiology

On methods in the analysis of profile data

Psychometrika

Adaptation-level theory. An Experimental and Systematic Approach to Behavior

Effects of elaboration of processing at encoding and retrieval: trace distinctiveness and recovery of initial context

A triarchic model of P300 amplitude

Psychophysiology

Main article
P3 varies with stimulus categorization rather than probability