Abstract
The Reflexive Imagery Task (RIT) reveals that the activation of sets can result in involuntary cognitions that are triggered by external stimuli. In the basic RIT, subjects are presented with an image of an object (e.g., CAT) and instructed to not think of the name of the object. Involuntary subvocalizations of the name (the RIT effect) arise on roughly 80% of the trials. We conducted an electroencephalography (EEG) study to explore the neural correlates of the RIT effect. Subjects were presented with one object at a time in one condition and two objects simultaneously in another condition. Five regions were defined by electrode sites: frontal (F3–F4), parietal (P3–P4), temporal (T3–T4), right hemisphere (F4–P4), and left hemisphere (F3–P3). We focused on the alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), delta (0.01–4 Hz), and theta (4–8 Hz) frequencies.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Consciousness Research, a section of the journal Frontiers in PsychologyReceived: 20 September 2019 Accepted: 02 March 2020 Published: 26 March 2020Citation: Dou W, Allen AK, Cho H, Bhangal S, Cook AJ, Morsella E and Geisler MW (2020) EEG Correlates of Involuntary Cognitions in the Reflexive Imagery Task.Front
In the One-Object block, main effects for Region were found in all bands [alpha: F(1.25, 30.05) = 44.53, p < 0.0001, beta: F(1.35, 32.43) = 31.93, p < 0.0001, delta: F(1.29, 31.05) = 38.46, p < 0.0001, theta: F(1.34, 32.09) = 49.86, p < 0.0001]
Main effects for Trial Phase were found in alpha, delta, and theta [alpha: F(1.42, 33.97) = 12.84, p = 0.0003, delta: F(1.24, 29.76) = 10.87, p = 0.001, theta: F(1.64, 39.39) = 5.44, p = 0.01]
Summary
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Consciousness Research, a section of the journal Frontiers in PsychologyReceived: 20 September 2019 Accepted: 02 March 2020 Published: 26 March 2020Front. Upon awakening during the middle of the night, the eyes open and one immediately experiences percepts and urges – the sight of a nightstand, the sound of a clock, and the urge to cover oneself with a blanket. This event, in which conscious contents1 “just happen” to an observer (Morsella et al, 2016), illustrates what usually occurs in everyday life, when the conscious contents composing the conscious field arise effortlessly, passively, and involuntarily (Morsella et al, 2016). Urges (e.g., to cover oneself with a blanket), too, can enter consciousness in this involuntary manner
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