Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 8 February 1980:
Vol. 207. no. 4431, pp. 655 - 657
DOI: 10.1126/science.7352278
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Science, Vol 207, Issue 4431, 655-657
Copyright © 1980 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Electrophysiological signs of split-second decision-making

DL Woods, SA Hillyard, E Courchesne, and R Galambos

When young adults detected auditory stimuli at split-second intervals, different components of the event-related brain potentials showed markedly different speeds of recovery. The P3 component (latency 300 to 350 milliseconds) was fully recovered at intervals of less than 1.0 second, while the N1--P2 components (latencies 100 to 180 milliseconds) were markedly attenuated with stimulus repetition even at longer interstimulus intervals. Thus, the N1--P2 recovers much more slowly than a subject's ability to evaluate signals, whereas the P3 appears to be generated at the same high rates as the decision processes with which it is associated.




To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)