Revisiting the Model Human Processor: a neurophysiological investigation based on P300 and Bereitschaftspotential
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Toshitaka Higashino1, Naoki Wakamiya1
1Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Osaka, Suita, Japan.
Introduction:
The Model Human Processor (MHP), while useful, lacks direct neurophysiological validation. This study aimed to validate and extend the MHP by analyzing P300 and Bereitschaftspotential (BP) brainwave components.
Methods:
Our initial finding of qualitatively different neural signatures between correct and incorrect trials led to the hypothesis that the "correct" trial group is a mixture of different processing types. We tested this by segregating correct trials based on the presence or absence of the P300 component, which we reasoned is a key marker of the MHP's conscious "Initiate Response" process.
Results:
We identified a P300-absent subgroup even among correct responses. This subgroup exhibited significantly shorter reaction times than its P300-present counterpart and showed a neural signature strikingly similar to that of incorrect trials, including a delayed negative peak in the BP.
Discussion:
These results suggest the human information processing pathway is not monolithic. We propose a new model that bifurcates after perception into either a "Deliberate Process" (P300-present), which aligns with the MHP, or a high-speed "Automatic Process" (P300-absent) that bypasses the MHP's "Initiate Response" process. This work provides neurophysiological validation for the MHP and lends new neural support for dual-process theory.
