Aiming at ecological validity—Midfrontal theta oscillations in a toy gun shooting task

Abstract

Every day our brain has to continuously deal with vast amounts of highly dynamical input. When examining cognition, neuroscientists traditionally try to isolate cognitive processes in order to exclude disturbing influences. Advances in neuroscientific technology enable us to transfer the knowledge gained in the laboratory into more ecologically valid settings and to investigate to what extent these neuronal processes occur under less controlled circumstances (Ladouce et al., 2016;Parada et al., 2020).One aspect that has been more or less neglected within this approach so far is that of performance monitoring. Successful goal-directed behaviour requires continuous assessment of ongoing actions and their consequences. Evaluation of adequacy and success of actions is essential for learning and executing appropriate and optimal behaviour (Ridderinkhof et al., 2004). Performance monitoring systems search for

Authentic Fear Responses in Virtual Reality: A Mobile EEG Study on Affective, Behavioral and Electrophysiological Correlates of Fear

“…However, based on the aforementioned considerations, we assume that the canonical FAA and respective models cannot be applied to complex, holistic behavior without restriction or adaption, as FAAs have so far been investigated by means of abstract responses. Rather, the complexity of realistic behavioral responses may not be fully predicted by a single, very specific electrophysiological marker (Bohil et al, 2011;Lange and Osinsky, 2020). Accordingly, contemporary FAA models offer an avenue to explore approach and avoidance behavior, but under realistic conditions, FAAs may not be as predominant as previous models suggest.…”

“…The sample size was determined based on previous studies that conducted EEG measurements in a VR condition (Kisker et al, 2020;Lange and Osinsky, 2020;Schöne et al, 2021). Based on these studies, we aimed for a sample of about 25 participants per subgroup (see Exploration time and behavior).…”

“…Based on these studies, we aimed for a sample of about 25 participants per subgroup (see Exploration time and behavior). Although data acquisition was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are optimistic that we obtained an adequate number of data sets corresponding to groups sizes implemented in previous VR studies (see Schöne et al, 2019;Kisker et al, 2020;Lange and Osinsky, 2020;Schöne et al, 2021). The participants received either partial course credits or 15€ for participation.…”

“…In contrast, immersive VR setups, such as the physical exploration of a cave, allow for multisensory, realistic sensations and significantly broader and non-mediated behavioral reactions (e.g., Rinck et al, 2010;Lin, 2017). Accordingly, the reduction of complex reactions to a single electrophysiological marker seems too abstract for realistic conditions (e.g., Lange and Osinsky, 2020;Bohil et al, 2011).…”

Time to move: Brain dynamics underlying natural action and cognition

“…Auditory-related brain responses and task accuracy did not change between riding the skateboard in preferred and non-preferred stance which in this case suggests that motor demands did not impinge on cognitive resources dedicated to the auditory task. In Lange and Osinsky (2020), participants were asked to shoot a target using a toy gun. Shots that missed the target evoked a stronger midfrontal theta activation than hits, a finding that may help understand the neural bases of performance monitoring during complex activities.…”