Event‐related brain potentials in a varied‐set memory search task: A reconsideration

Abstract

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in 19 healthy subjects as they completed two Sternberg (1969, American Scientist, 57, 421-457) memory tests. In separate sessions, either single digits (i.e., 0-9) or 10 abstract figures were used as stimuli. In both sessions, memory set sizes were 1 (M1), 2 (M2), or 4 (M4). The amplitude and latency of the parietal P400 and the frontocentral negativity preceding P400 varied significantly with set size, but only between M1 and M2, whereas reaction time increased dramatically from M1 to M2 and from M2 to M4. These findings challenge previous assertions that the ERPs reflect aspects of the exhaustive serial search proposed by Sternberg. A late parietal positivity (P620), which failed to vary with set size, was larger in response to figures than to digits and may represent the search for, or utilization of, semantic traces of the stimuli.

On the utility of P3 amplitude as a measure of processing capacity

“…Focus versus divided attention Mangun & Hillyard, 1990 Larger P3s to target stimuli in focused than divided condition Visual search: memory load Brookhuis et al, 1981;Gomer et al, 1976;Gunter et al, 1992;Kotchoubey et al, 1996;Kramer et al, 1986;Looren de Jong et al, 1988;Lorist et al, 1994Lorist et al, , 1996Mecklinger et al, 1992;Okita et al, 1985;Pelosi et al, 1995;Strayer & Kramer, 1990;Wijers et al, 1989a,b Smaller P3 with greater memory load…”

Event-related potentials, cognition, and behavior: A biological approach

“…To test the second assumption, a series of experiments (Jordan et al, 1995;Kotchoubey et al, 1994Kotchoubey et al, , 1995Kotchoubey et al, , 1996Kotchoubey et al, , 1997a has been carried out in order to disentangle the effects of the hypothesized cognitive processes or mental operations on the one hand, and the effects produced by the informational content of experimental 'environment' (i.e. stimulation) on the other hand.…”

Correlating digit span performance and event-related potentials to assess working memory

“…In this substantial literature (see Kotchoubey, 2002or Verleger, 1997 for a review), the most consistent finding is the elicitation of a sustained, parietal positivity to the probe (irrespective of probe type) with a monotonous increase in latency as memory set size increases (e.g., Blumhardt, 1996;Pelosi et al, 1992Pelosi et al, , 1995Pelosi et al, , 1998Starr and Barrett, 1987). Moreover, the manifestation of a P300 during the encoding phase has also been found to be a predictor of successful retrieval in the test phase (Chao and Knight, 1996;Golob and Starr, 2004;Kotchoubey et al, 1996;Patterson et al, 1991).…”