P300 and positive slow waves reveal the plausibility in inductive reasoning

Abstract

Category‐based induction is an advanced cognitive function that is based on our category‐level knowledge. Previous findings have recognized the distance effect in category‐based induction: Inductive strength is affected by the hierarchical distance between the premises and conclusions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this effect require elucidation. In the present study, we investigated the neural mechanisms of the distance effect by using EEG technology and a new experimental paradigm—category‐based induction. In this paradigm, we used three hierarchical levels of categories—the subordinate category, the basic category, the superordinate category—and an irrelevant category. We further used these categories to create four types of trial that varied in the hierarchical distance between the premise and the conclusion: the subordinate‐basic, the basic‐superordinate, the subordinate‐superordinate, and the irrelevant‐superordinate trials. In each trial, participants judged the probability that the conclusion category had the same property as the premise category. Our behavioral results revealed that people responded more slowly in the irrelevant‐superordinate trials than in the basic‐superordinate and the subordinate‐basic trials. Our ERP results showed that the irrelevant‐superordinate trials elicited smaller P300 (250–500 ms) amplitudes than did the subordinate‐basic and the basic‐superordinate trials. In addition, the subordinate‐superordinate trials elicited smaller P300 and PSW (700–998 ms) amplitudes than did the subordinate‐basic and the basic‐superordinate combinations. These findings indicate that the amplitudes of P300 and PSW may reflect the distance effect in inductive reasoning: The further the premise‐conclusion hierarchical distance, the lower the inductive strength, and thus the smaller the P300 and PSW amplitudes.

The Effect of a Short Mindfulness Meditation on Somatosensory Attention

“…ERPs elicited in response to tactile oddball stimuli were averaged separately for the oddball tasks before and after the mindfulness and control tasks. Based on prior research, statistical analysis was then conducted for 5 separate electrode sites along the midline (Fz, FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz) (Cohen et al, 1996;Herbert et al, 2007;Picton, 1992) using amplitude averages for the 250-500-ms time window post-stimulus (Cohen et al, 1996;Lei et al, 2019;Pollatos et al, 2005). Since the location of the oddball stimuli was not relevant to the hypotheses, the ERPs elicited by stimuli from the tip of the little finger and base of the index finger were averaged for the analysis.…”

The Effect of Static and Dynamic Visual Stimulations on Error Detection Based on Error-Evoked Brain Responses

“…Studies have shown that P300 was also related to the satisfaction of expectations [29]. Lei et al [30] found a related-category condition elicits larger P300 relative to an unrelated-category condition, and demonstrated that greater expectation satisfaction is associated with larger P300 amplitude. In this study, participants expected the correct events to happen more, while the errors deviated from their expectations.…”

The default‐interventionist model underlies premise typicality weakening the premise diversity effect during category‐based induction: Event‐related potentials evidence

“…It provides high temporal resolution and monitors cognitive processes in real time (Luck, 2014). Earlier research used ERP responses to reveal the cognitive processes underlying CBI (Cui, Liu & Long, 2018; Lei, Wang, Zhu, Chen & Li, 2019; Liang, Xiao, Zhu, Lei & Chen, 2020; Liang, Zhong, Lu & Liu, 2010; Long, Zhang, Cui & Chen, 2018; Sun, Xiao & Long, 2019; Yang & Long, 2020). However, ERP studies have been overlooked in investigations concerning how and under what conditions premise typicality affects the diversity effect during CBI.…”