An ERP study of the processing of response conflict in a dynamic localization task: the role of individual...

The study aimed at finding specific conflict-sensitive ERP components in a novel dynamic localization task. It was investigated whether these ERP components are sensitive to individual differences in task-appropriate behavior.

Forty-four participants performed a localization task employing three differentially conflict-inducing experimental conditions: a frequent standard condition (O=target, X=distractor), a rare conflict condition (S=target, O=distractor), and a rare control condition (S=target, X=distractor).

Behavioral data revealed increases of RT and error percent in the conflict condition. Early frequency-sensitive components P3a and fronto-central N2, and late conflict-sensitive components left-central N2, P3b, and CRN were observed. Two groups of participants were selected, those responding fast and accurately, and those responding slowly and inaccurately. Interestingly, the left-central N2 correlate of conflict was observed in the first group, whereas the CRN correlate was observed in the latter group.

Findings suggest that pre-response conflict monitoring is required to successfully complete the task, whereas post-response conflict monitoring did not seem to improve performance.

The present study used a novel dynamic localization task to identify ERP components that were sensitive to response conflict, but differentially predictive of good vs. poor task performance.