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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

Speeding before and slowing after errors: is it all just strategy?

Carolin Dudschig¹, Ines Jentzsch

¹School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK. cd71@st-andrews.ac.uk

|August 15, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Pre-error speeding is not strategic, but post-error slowing increases with less time between trials, suggesting error evaluation interferes with performance. The Ne/ERN amplitude did not predict post-error slowing.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Response times typically quicken before errors and slow after errors.
This is often attributed to strategic adjustments in response thresholds.
Recent research suggests error evaluation itself can consume time and hinder subsequent performance.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate if error evaluation interferes with processing, similar to post-error slowing.
Examine if pre-error speeding and post-error slowing share underlying mechanisms.
Determine if the Ne/ERN amplitude predicts post-error slowing.

Main Methods:

Systematically manipulated the response stimulus interval (RSI).
Measured behavioral performance (speed and accuracy) and electrophysiological data (Ne/ERN amplitude).

Main Results:

Pre-error speeding was unaffected by RSI, indicating it's not a strategic process.
Post-error slowing intensified with shorter RSIs, increasing error proneness.
No significant relationship was found between RSI-dependent post-error slowing and Ne/ERN amplitude.

Conclusions:

Error evaluation can significantly interfere with subsequent trial processing, especially with short inter-trial intervals.
Pre-error speeding may not involve strategic control processes.
The amplitude of the Ne/ERN may not directly correlate with the magnitude of subsequent performance adjustments.