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The Effects of Stimulus Expectancy on Evoked Brain Potentials
Author(s) -
Porjesz Bernice,
Begleiter Henri
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1975.tb01266.x
Subject(s) - stimulus (psychology) , psychology , expectancy theory , audiology , neutral stimulus , evoked potential , second order stimulus , visual perception , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , perception , social psychology , stimulus control , medicine , nicotine
The effects of self‐generated expectancy of stimulus content on the visual evoked potential to physically identical stimuli were studied in college students. The subject set up his own internal expectant; by choosing to see either a bright or dim Hash. When a bright or dim Hash was anticipated, the potentials evoked by u medium stimulus intensity resembled the responses elicited by an actual bright or dim flash, respectively. Significant differences in visual evoked potential amplitude were obtained between identical medium intensity stimuli depending on the stimulus intensity expected, despite (he constant physical properties of the stimulus. 1 In1 results suggest that a subject's expectancy of certain physical parameters of a stimulus are as important In determining (he resultant visual evoked potential as the actual physical features of the stimulus.