Premium
Altering the primacy bias—How does a prior task affect mismatch negativity?
Author(s) -
Mullens Daniel,
Woodley Jessica,
Whitson Lisa,
Provost Alexander,
Heathcote Andrew,
Winkler István,
Todd Juanita
Publication year - 2014
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/psyp.12190
Subject(s) - psychology , mismatch negativity , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive psychology , response bias , oddball paradigm , social psychology , cognition , event related potential , electroencephalography , neuroscience
The role in which two tones are first encountered in an unattended oddball sequence affects how deviance detection, reflected by mismatch negativity, treats them later when the roles reverse: a “primacy bias.” We tested whether this effect is modulated by previous behavioral relevance assigned to the two tones. To this end, sequences in which the roles of the two tones alternated were preceded by a go/no‐go task in which tones were presented with equal probability. Half of the participants were asked to respond to the short sounds, the other half to long sounds. Primacy bias was initially abolished but returned dependent upon the go‐stimulus that the participant was assigned. Results demonstrate a long‐term impact of prior learning on deviance detection, and that even when prior importance/equivalence is learned, the bias ultimately returns. Results are discussed in terms of persistent go‐stimulus specific changes in responsiveness to sound.