ERP ‘old/new’ effects: memory strength and decisional factor(s)

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects made old/new recognition judgments on new unstudied words and old words which had been presented at study either once (‘weak’) or three times (‘strong’). The probability of an ‘old’ response was significantly higher for strong than weak wo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychologia 2002, Vol.40 (13), p.2288-2304
Main Authors: Finnigan, Simon, Humphreys, Michael S, Dennis, Simon, Geffen, Gina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - physiology
Decision Making
Electroencephalography
Electrophysiology
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Eye Movements - physiology
Familiarity
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Judgment
Learning. Memory
LPC
Male
Memory
Memory - physiology
N400
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Random Allocation
Recognition
Recognition (Psychology)
Recollection
Single-process models
Time Factors
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Summary:Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects made old/new recognition judgments on new unstudied words and old words which had been presented at study either once (‘weak’) or three times (‘strong’). The probability of an ‘old’ response was significantly higher for strong than weak words and significantly higher for weak than new words. Comparisons were made initially between ERPs to new, weak and strong words, and subsequently between ERPs associated with six strength-by-response conditions. The N400 component was found to be modulated by memory trace strength in a graded manner. Its amplitude was most negative in new word ERPs and most positive in strong word ERPs. This ‘N400 strength effect’ was largest at the left parietal electrode (in ear-referenced ERPs). The amplitude of the late positive complex (LPC) effect was sensitive to decision accuracy (and perhaps confidence). Its amplitude was larger in ERPs evoked by words attracting correct versus incorrect recognition decisions. The LPC effect had a left>right, centro-parietal scalp topography (in ear-referenced ERPs). Hence, whereas, the majority of previous ERP studies of episodic recognition have interpreted results from the perspective of dual-process models, we provide alternative interpretations of N400 and LPC old/new effects in terms of memory strength and decisional factor(s).
ISSN:0028-3932
1873-3514
DOI:10.1016/S0028-3932(02)00113-6