Response mode and P300 from auditory stimuli

Abstract

The P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) was elicited with a simple auditory discrimination task. Subjects were required to respond in three different ways to target stimuli across conditions: (1) silently counting the targets; (2) tapping their index finger every time a target was detected; or (3) pressing a button with their thumb when a target was presented. In addition, ERPs were recorded during each response mode while the subjects' eyes were either open or closed. P300 amplitude was larger for the counting compared to the tapping or button press tasks especially during the eyes closed condition. The peak latency of the P300 was longer when obtained from the counting compared to the tapping and button-press tasks for both eye conditions. Response mode also interacted with electrode site for peak latency. The results suggest that the P300 ERP component is sensitive to the nature of the subject's response during discrimination tasks.