Electrophysiological correlates of change detection

Abstract
To identify electrophysiological correlates of change detection, event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants monitored displays containing four faces in order to detect a face identity change across successive displays. Successful change detection was mirrored by an N2pc component at posterior electrodes contralateral to the side of a change, suggesting close links between conscious change detection and attention. ERPs on undetected‐change trials differed from detected‐change and no‐change trials. We suggest that short‐latency ERP differences between these trial types reflect trial‐by‐trial fluctuations in advance task preparation, whereas differences in the P3 time range are due to variations in the duration of perceptual and decision‐related processing. Overall, these findings demonstrate that ERPs are a useful tool for dissociating processes underlying change blindness and change detection.

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