Relation between centro-parietal positivity and diffusion model parameters in both perceptual and memory-based decision making

Brain Res. 2019 Jul 15:1715:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.03.008. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Abstract

Several studies have suggested that the centro-parietal positivity (CPP), an EEG potential occurring approximately 500 ms post-stimulus, reflects the accumulation of evidence for making a decision. Yet, most previous studies of the CPP focused exclusively on perceptual decisions with very simple stimuli. In this study, we examined how the dynamics of the CPP depended on the type of decision being made, and whether its slope was related to parameters of an accumulator model of decision making. We show initial evidence that memory- and perceptual decisions about carefully-controlled face stimuli exhibit similar dynamics, but offset by a time difference in decision onset. Importantly, the individual-trial slopes of the CPP are related to the accumulator model's drift parameter. These findings help to further understand the role of the CPP across different kinds of decisions.

Keywords: Accumulator models; CPP; Decision making; Drift-diffusion model; EEG; ERP; Recognition memory.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brain / physiology
  • Brain Mapping / methods
  • Decision Making / physiology*
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology*
  • Motion Perception / physiology
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Recognition, Psychology / physiology*