Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Assessment of Audio-Tactile Sensory Substitution Training in Participants with Profound Deafness Using the Event-Related Potential Technique
Published on: September 7, 2022
Action-related auditory ERP attenuation is not modulated by action effect relevance
Bence Neszmélyi1, János Horváth2
1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary; Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
Action-related auditory ERP attenuation, a reduced brain response to self-made sounds, is not significantly affected by attention to other sensory consequences of actions. This suggests distinct neural mechanisms may underlie distinguishing self-generated from external sounds.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Self-generated sounds typically elicit smaller event-related potentials (ERPs) than identical externally-generated sounds.
- This action-related auditory ERP attenuation is amplified when self-induced sounds are mixed with external sounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of attentional factors in action-related auditory ERP attenuation.
- To determine if attention to concurrent non-auditory sensory consequences of actions influences auditory ERP attenuation.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed actions that produced tones under manipulated action-tone contingencies.
- Additional sensory feedback (tactile, visual) associated with actions was varied.
- Auditory ERPs were recorded and analyzed for attenuation differences.
Main Results:
- The established effect of action-tone contingency on auditory ERP attenuation was replicated.
- Introducing additional tactile or visual sensory consequences of actions did not alter the magnitude of auditory ERP attenuation.
Conclusions:
- The degree of attention paid to concurrent non-auditory sensory effects does not substantially modulate action-related auditory ERP attenuation.
- Findings support the hypothesis that auditory ERP attenuation may be linked to the brain's process of differentiating self-generated from externally-generated auditory stimuli.
