A Metric for Thought: A Comparison of P300 Latency and Reaction Time
Abstract
We confirm that the latency of the P300 component of the human event-related potential is determined by processes involved in stimulus evaluation and categorization and is relatively independent of response selection and execution. Stimulus discriminability and stimulus-response compatibility were manipulated independently in an "additive-factors" design. Choice reaction time and P300 latency were obtained simultaneously for each trial. Although reaction time was affected by both discriminability and stimulus-response compatibility, P300 latency was affected only by stimulus discriminability.
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Easier categorization is reflected in larger amplitudes.
“Differences in P3 latencies have been shown to correspond to the duration of stimulus evaluation32,47, with easier categorization reflected in larger amplitudes (e.g.32,48).”
From Event-related potentials of automatic imitation are modulated by ethnicity during stimulus processing, but not during motor execution (2018) · cites this paper as [48]
The time-to-peak of the P300 component recorded in the parietal cortical area increased with the difficulty of stimulus discriminability and reaction time but was indifferent to stimulus-response compatibility.
“Interestingly, it was found that the time-to-peak of the P300 component recorded in the parietal cortical area increased with the difficulty of stimulus discriminability and RT but was indifferent to the stimulus-response compatibility (Kutas et al., 1977; McCarthy and Donchin, 1981).”
From Decision Making in Recurrent Neuronal Circuits (2008) · cites this paper as McCarthy and Donchin, 1981
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- Authors
- McCarthy, G., & Donchin, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1981-01-02
- Volume
- 211
- Issue
- 4477
- Pages
- 77-80
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2042306717
- Cited by
- 1,147
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 19.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- P300, event-related potentials, P300 latency, reaction time, stimulus evaluation, stimulus classification, stimulus-response compatibility, stimulus discriminability, choice reaction time, response selection
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Cognition, Discrimination, Psychological, Electroencephalography, Humans, Thinking, Time Factors
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