Abstract
The mismatch negativity (MMN) has been widely studied with oddball tasks to index processing of unexpected auditory change. The MMN is computed as the difference of deviant minus standard and is used to capture the pattern violation by the deviant. However, this oddball MMN is confounded because the deviant differs physically from the standard and is presented less often. To improve measurement, the same tone as the deviant is presented in a separate condition. This control tone is equiprobable with other tones and is used to compute a corrected MMN (deviant minus control). Typically, the tones are in random order except that consecutive tones are not identical (no‐repetition rule). In contrast, a recent study on frequency MMN presented tones in a regular up‐and‐down sequence (cascade rule). If the cascade rule is detected more easily than the no‐repetition rule, there should be a lower risk of a confounding MMN within the cascade condition. However, in previous research, the cascade and no‐repetition conditions differed not only in the regularity of the tone sequence but also in number of tones, frequency range, and proportion of tones. We controlled for these differences to isolate effects of regularity in the tone sequence. Results of our preregistered analyses provided moderate evidence (BF01>6) that the corrected MMN did not differ between cascade and no‐repetition conditions. These findings imply that no‐repetition and cascade rules are processed similarly and that the no‐repetition condition provides an adequate control in frequency MMN.
Highlights
In everyday life, our immediate surroundings change constantly
The main finding was that the corrected mismatch negativity (MMN) was similar in the cascade and no‐repetition conditions
If the deviant in the oddball condition violates a regularity established by the standard, the cascade condition may be preferable to the no‐repetition condition as a control condition: It has a regular sequence and does not violate any regularity, whereas the no‐repetition condition
Summary
Our immediate surroundings change constantly. Because these changes may be goal relevant, they need to be detected, especially if they are unexpected. Because the deviant in the oddball task is physically identical to the control tone and both tones are presented often, any obvious confounding effects from N1 differences are avoided This condition has been introduced to study pattern violations in frequency (Jacobsen & Schröger, 2001; Jacobsen, Schröger, Horenkamp, & Winkler, 2003), location (Schröger & Wolff, 1996), duration (Jacobsen & Schröger, 2003), and intensity (Jacobsen, Horenkamp, & Schröger, 2003). Relative to the no‐repetition condition, the cascade condition included fewer frequencies with a smaller frequency range, and the neighboring tones to the control tones were presented twice as often These differences in combination have been shown to decrease both MMN and N1 (Jacobsen, Schröger, et al, 2003). The present study isolates the effects of regularity from potential confounds
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
