Abstract
In two experiments, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects performed a simultaneous detection and recognition task. Ten subjects listened to pure tones in noise and reported both whether a target tone had occurred (using a four-category confidence rating scale) and whether the target was one of two (Experiment 1) or four (Experiment 2) tones differing in frequency. The amplitudes of three ERP components were found to be differentially related to detection and recognition performance. The early N100 component varied with processing related only to detection, while the late P300 varied with both detection and recognition, and a later slow positive shift varied only with recognition and not with detection. While the latenciee of both N100 and P300 increased for less confident target detections, there were no differences in the latencies of these ERP components between correctly and incorrectly identiffed targets. Recognition performance was above the level expected by chance even when subjects reported that no target had been presented. The results indicate that brain potential components can be used to disclose temporal features of the processing of a stimulus by the nervous system and support the view that detection and recognition are partially independent, concurrent processes in perception.
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Donchin, E., & Heffley, E. Multivariate analysis of eventrelated potential data: A tutorial review. In D. A. Otto (Ed.),Multidisciplinary perspectives in event-related brain potential research (EPA-600/9-77-043). Washington, D.C: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1978.
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Supported in part by ONR Contract N00014-76-C-0616 and by NIMH Training Grant 784040-29867-5.
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Parasuraman, R., Richer, F. & Beatty, J. Detection and recognition: Concurrent processes in perception. Perception & Psychophysics 31, 1–12 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206196
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206196