Error Negativity Does Not Reflect Conflict: A Reappraisal of Conflict Monitoring and Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity

Abstract

Abstract& Our ability to detect and correct errors is essential for our adaptive behavior. The conflict-loop theory states that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a key role in detecting the need to increase control through conflict monitoring. Such monitoring is assumed to manifest itself in an electroencephalographic (EEG) component, the ''error negativity'' (N e or ''error-related negativity'' [ERN]). We have directly tested the hypothesis that the ACC monitors conflict through simulation and experimental studies. Both the simulated and EEG traces were sorted, on a trial-by-trial basis, as a function of the degree of conflict, measured as the temporal overlap between incorrect and correct response activations. The simulations clearly show that conflict increases as temporal overlap between response activation increases, whereas the experimental results demonstrate that the amplitude of the N e decreases as temporal overlap increases, suggesting that the ACC does not monitor conflict. At a functional level, the results show that the duration of the N e depends on the time needed to correct (partial) errors, revealing an ''on-line'' modulation of control on a very short time scale. &

Electromyographic evidence for response conflict in the exclude recognition task

“…If exclude recognition involves response conflict, as we claim, why do we find nonoverlapping partial errors when others report ones that overlap (e.g., Burle et al, 2005;Burle et al, 2002;Carbonnell & Falkenstein, 2006;Coles et al, 1985)? One answer can be found in a recent report by Burle et al (2008). Burle and colleagues present a detailed and thorough examination of the brain activation and EMG implications of conflict-monitoring theory and argue against the Botvinick et al (2001) definition of response conflict as overlapping activation of competing response mappings.…”

“…These EMG patterns, averaged across trials, typically overlap (e.g., Burle, Allain, Vidal, & Hasbroucq, 2005;Burle et al, 2002;Carbonnell & Falkenstein, 2006). This pattern is used as evidence for the coactivation of competing responses predicted by conflictmonitoring theory (Botvinick et al, 2001;Burle, Roger, Allain, Vidal, & Hasbroucq, 2008).…”

“…Although the PTS model does not give a specific prediction of the proportion of conflict trials on which partial errors should be observed, we note that the 28% partial errors observed on probe trials is similar to the proportions of partial errors found on conflict trials in more canonical conflict tasks. For example, a recent study using an Eriksen flanker task reported 21.7% partial errors for conflict trials (Burle et al, 2008). However, due to differences between studies, a direct comparison between these proportions is not possible.…”

The way of our errors: Theme and variations

“…Burle, Roger, Allain, Vidal, and Hasbroucq (2008) see the ERN/CRN as an ''alarm signal''Fa call for cognitive control that is initiated with response onset and continues until remediation takes place. In the case of correct responses, ''remediation'' occurs quickly; the alarm is terminated by the response, and the resulting CRN is typically small.…”

Tracking post-error adaptation in the motor system by transcranial magnetic stimulation

“…Neuroimaging studies have evidenced the role of prefrontal areas during error processing (Botvinick et al, 2001;van Veen and Carter, 2002;Kerns et al, 2004;Burle et al, 2008) with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) being involved in detecting errors and implementing subsequent cognitive control mechanisms (Ridderinkhof, 2002;Ridderinkhof et al, 2004;Lo¨tcke and Frahm, 2008). The activation of the ACC has been related to a subsequent increase in BOLD activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortical areas (rDLPFC), which has been associated with post-conflict/error adjustments (Kerns et al, 2004;Klein et al, 2007).…”