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Contextual modulation of oculomotor control reflected in N2 and saccade reaction time distributions
Author(s) -
Wijnen Jasper G.,
Ridderinkhof K. Richard
Publication year - 2009
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.1469-8986.2009.00847.x
Subject(s) - psychology , saccade , fixation (population genetics) , cognitive psychology , eye movement , context (archaeology) , visual search , cognition , control (management) , action (physics) , facilitation , communication , neuroscience , computer science , paleontology , population , physics , demography , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , sociology , biology
Avoiding reflexive saccades triggered by salient yet task‐irrelevant stimuli requires the engagement of control processes that inhibit attention toward irrelevant objects and prevent reflex‐like oculomotor action. In the current study participants made saccades to visual targets to the left and right of fixation as directed by target appearance. A distractor could either be presented in the same (congruent trials) or the opposite hemifield (incongruent trials) as the target. Trial context was manipulated, creating risky (mostly incongruent blocks), safe (mostly congruent blocks), or neutral conditions. Electroencephalogram was measured to examine if any contextual modulations would be reflected in the N2 peak frequently associated with performance monitoring. The results are discussed within the framework of dual mechanisms of cognitive control and suggest that a high‐risk context facilitates avoidance of capture, lessening the need for reactive control.