ERP correlates of conscious error recognition: aware and unaware errors in an antisaccade task

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychophysiology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) and error positivity (Pe), are recognized neural markers of performance errors.
• The precise functional roles of these ERP components, particularly their relationship with error awareness, remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between the Ne/ERN and Pe components and the awareness of errors during cognitive tasks.
• Investigating whether these neural signals differentiate between consciously recognized and unrecognized errors.

Main Methods:

• Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed an antisaccade task.
• Error awareness was assessed on a trial-by-trial basis using accuracy ratings.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in Ne/ERN amplitude was observed between aware and unaware errors.
• The late Pe component (400-600 ms) exhibited greater parietal positivity for aware errors compared to unaware errors.
• The early Pe component (200-300 ms) did not differentiate between aware and unaware errors, similar to the Ne/ERN.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that the Ne/ERN and the late Pe reflect distinct processes within the performance monitoring system.
• The late Pe is specifically associated with error awareness and subsequent error correction, supporting previous research.
• The early Pe, like the Ne/ERN, appears to be independent of error awareness, indicating differential neural processing of errors based on conscious recognition.