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Monitoring retrieval from long‐term memory by slow event‐related brain potentials
Author(s) -
RÖSLER FRANK,
HEIL MARTIN,
GLOWALLA ULRICH
Publication year - 1993
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.1469-8986.1993.tb01730.x
Subject(s) - psychology , negativity effect , event related potential , associative property , term (time) , amplitude , neuroscience , electroencephalography , cognitive psychology , task (project management) , cognition , audiology , physics , optics , astronomy , mathematics , medicine , management , pure mathematics , economics
Slow event‐related brain potentials of nine subjects were recorded in an experimentally controlled long‐term memory retrieval task (the Fan paradigm) from electrode sites F3, Fz, F4, Cz, P3, Pz, and P4. In all retrieval conditions, a very pronounced DC‐like negative potential appeared over the left frontal cortex. This negativity was switched on with the presentation of the probe stimuli and prevailed in some conditions throughout the total recording epoch of 14 s. Particular retrieval conditions became manifest in distinct slow wave effects. The amplitude of a bilaterally distributed frontal negative slow wave increased when a more diversified associative structure had to be searched. The amplitude of another negative slow wave, which peaked bilaterally over parietal areas, was affected by the type of concepts that had to be retrieved. The amplitude was larger with general concepts (category labels) and smaller with specific concepts (category exemplars). These results suggest that distinct strategies are invoked when subjects are required to draw conclusions about different contents stored permanently in an associative network.