Positive difference in ERPs reflects independent processing of visual changes

Abstract

To elucidate the nature of the processing of visual stimulus changes, ERPs were recorded while 12 participants performed an S1-S2 matching task with multifeature stimuli. Each trial consisted of two sequentially presented stimuli (S1-S2), where S2 was either the same as S1, different from S1 only in color, different only in shape, or different in both color and shape. The four trial types were presented in random order with equal probability, and participants responded to one of these types in separate blocks. Relative to the no-change stimuli, the change stimuli elicited posterior positivity with different topography according to changing features ranging from 100 to 180 ms in all tasks. The amplitude and topography of the positivity in response to the both changes were the respective sums of those to changes in the corresponding single features. These results suggest that a feature-specific change detection system exists in the human visual system.

Attention switching function of memory-comparison-based change detection system in the visual modality

“…The peak latency and scalp-distribution of the positivity are consistent with change-related positivity observed in previous studies (e.g., Fonteneau and Davidoff, 2007;Fu et al, 2003;Kimura et al, 2005aKimura et al, , 2005bKimura et al, , 2006aKimura et al, , 2006bKimura et al, , 2006cWang et al, 2003). The present finding that change-related positivity was elicited by size decrements suggests that such change-related positivity could be elicited when stimulus changes engage memory-comparison-based change detection but do not strongly engage refractoriness-based rareness detection.…”

“…Second, although the present results support the notion that change-related positivity reflects memory-comparison-based change detection (e.g., Fonteneau and Davidoff, 2007;Kimura et al, 2005aKimura et al, , 2005bKimura et al, , 2006aKimura et al, , 2006bKimura et al, , 2006c, except for S1-S2 matching studies (Fu et al, 2003;Kimura et al, 2005aKimura et al, , 2005bKimura et al, , 2006aKimura et al, , 2006bKimura et al, , 2006cWang et al, 2003) and some oddball studies (Fonteneau and Davidoff, 2007;Kimura et al, 2006c) Finally, the present study found three early change-related effects (change-related negativity, change-related positivity, and frontal positivity). At present, the precise relationship between attentional capture and these early change-related effects is still unclear.…”

“…In previous studies on the functional significance of change-related positivity, it has been suggested that change-related positivity reflects memory-comparison-based change detection (Fonteneau and Davidoff, 2007;Kimura et al, 2005aKimura et al, , 2005bKimura et al, , 2006aKimura et al, , 2006bKimura et al, , 2006c. For example, Kimura et al (2006c) found that change-related positivity was observed in response to stimulus changes even when the stimulus changes were not infrequent events, and the amplitude was determined by the mismatch between Visual distraction & ERPs 23 the current stimulus and the immediately preceding stimulus regardless of the probability of eliciting stimuli.…”

“…As seen in the interpretation by Berti and Schröger (2001, 2006, this component might reflect memory-comparison-based change detection (e.g., Czigler et al, 2002Winkler et al, 2005) or refractoriness-based rareness detection (e.g., Alho et al, 1992;Kenemans et al, 2003;Kimura et al, 2006c;Mazza et al, 2005). Also, change-related positivity is usually observed at around 100-200 ms after stimulus onset with a posterior scalp-distribution (e.g., Fonteneau and Davidoff, 2007;Fu et al, 2003;Kimura et al 2005aKimura et al , 2005bKimura et al , 2006aKimura et al , 2006bKimura et al , 2006cWang et al, 2003).…”

“…Recently, Kimura et al (2005aKimura et al ( , 2005bKimura et al ( , 2006aKimura et al ( , 2006bKimura et al ( , 2006c and Fonteneau and Davidoff (2007) proposed that this component reflects memory-comparison-based change detection.…”