An ERP study of cognitive architecture and the insertion of mental processes: Donders revisited

• Published in: Psychophysiology 2011-09, Vol.48 (9), p.1242-1251
• Main Authors: Vidal, Franck, Burle, Boris, Grapperon, Jacques, Hasbroucq, Thierry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Cognitive science; Electroencephalography; EMG; ERPs; Event-related potentials; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Female; Humans; Insertion; Laplacian; Male; Middle Aged; Motor ability; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuroscience; Physiological psychology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction time; Reaction Time - physiology; Reaction time task; Response time; SMA; supplementary motor area; Task analysis; Thinking - physiology
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1469-8986; 1540-5958
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01186.x

In his seminal paper, Donders proposed that Choice reaction time (RT) tasks differ from Go/No‐go RT tasks only by the insertion of a response decision operation. We evaluated this possibility by comparing the time course of Laplacian‐transformed ERPs, recorded over the primary (M1s) and supplementary motor areas (SMAs) in a Choice and in a Go/No‐go task. Laplacian‐transformed ERPs showed that a component that develops over the SMAs during the RT of Choice tasks vanishes in our Go/No‐go task. This indicates that a process, absent in the Go/No‐go task, was “inserted” in the Choice task. The Choice versus Go/No‐go manipulation also modified the motor command: the activity recorded over M1s and the delay separating EMG onset from response completion depended on the nature of the task. This indicates that, although a process was inserted in the Choice task, it was not “purely” inserted, contrary to Donders' initial assumption.