Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.

Errors in choice tasks have been shown to elicit a cascade of characteristic components in the human event-related potential (ERPs)-the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) and the error positivity (Pe). Despite the large number of studies concerned with these components, it is still unclear how they r...

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Main Authors: Steinhauser, M, Yeung, N
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2012
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author Steinhauser, M
Yeung, N
author_facet Steinhauser, M
Yeung, N
author_sort Steinhauser, M
collection OXFORD
description Errors in choice tasks have been shown to elicit a cascade of characteristic components in the human event-related potential (ERPs)-the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) and the error positivity (Pe). Despite the large number of studies concerned with these components, it is still unclear how they relate to error awareness as measured by overt error signaling responses. In the present study, we considered error awareness as a decision process in which evidence for an error is accumulated until a decision criterion is reached, and hypothesized that the Pe is a correlate of the accumulated decision evidence. To test the prediction that the amplitude of the Pe varies as a function of the strength and latency of the accumulated evidence for an error, we manipulated the speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT) in a brightness discrimination task while participants signaled the occurrence of errors. Based on a previous modeling study, we predicted that lower speed pressure should be associated with weaker evidence for an error and, thus, with smaller Pe amplitudes. As predicted, average Pe amplitude was decreased and error signaling was impaired in a low speed pressure condition compared to a high speed pressure condition. In further analyses, we derived single-trial Pe amplitudes using a logistic regression approach. Single-trial amplitudes robustly predicted the occurrence of signaling responses on a trial-by-trial basis. These results confirm the predictions of the evidence accumulation account, supporting the notion that the Pe reflects accumulated evidence for an error and that this evidence drives the emergence of error awareness.
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spelling oxford-uuid:a2559ac1-afc2-42a1-b767-a19406ec03a32022-03-27T02:19:28ZError awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:a2559ac1-afc2-42a1-b767-a19406ec03a3EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Steinhauser, MYeung, NErrors in choice tasks have been shown to elicit a cascade of characteristic components in the human event-related potential (ERPs)-the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) and the error positivity (Pe). Despite the large number of studies concerned with these components, it is still unclear how they relate to error awareness as measured by overt error signaling responses. In the present study, we considered error awareness as a decision process in which evidence for an error is accumulated until a decision criterion is reached, and hypothesized that the Pe is a correlate of the accumulated decision evidence. To test the prediction that the amplitude of the Pe varies as a function of the strength and latency of the accumulated evidence for an error, we manipulated the speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT) in a brightness discrimination task while participants signaled the occurrence of errors. Based on a previous modeling study, we predicted that lower speed pressure should be associated with weaker evidence for an error and, thus, with smaller Pe amplitudes. As predicted, average Pe amplitude was decreased and error signaling was impaired in a low speed pressure condition compared to a high speed pressure condition. In further analyses, we derived single-trial Pe amplitudes using a logistic regression approach. Single-trial amplitudes robustly predicted the occurrence of signaling responses on a trial-by-trial basis. These results confirm the predictions of the evidence accumulation account, supporting the notion that the Pe reflects accumulated evidence for an error and that this evidence drives the emergence of error awareness.
spellingShingle Steinhauser, M
Yeung, N
Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title_full Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title_fullStr Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title_full_unstemmed Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title_short Error awareness as evidence accumulation: effects of speed-accuracy trade-off on error signaling.
title_sort error awareness as evidence accumulation effects of speed accuracy trade off on error signaling
work_keys_str_mv AT steinhauserm errorawarenessasevidenceaccumulationeffectsofspeedaccuracytradeoffonerrorsignaling
AT yeungn errorawarenessasevidenceaccumulationeffectsofspeedaccuracytradeoffonerrorsignaling