Event-related potential practice effects on the Paced Auditory Serial
Addition Test (PASAT) |
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Authors: | Jeffrey M Rogers Alison M Fox |
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Institution: | 1.School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Sydney,
NSW;2.School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth,
WA |
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Abstract: | Practice can change the nature and quality of a stimulus-response relationship.
The current study observed the effects of repeated administration of the Paced
Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) in 12 healthy individuals, in an effort to
establish distinct profiles associated with novel and practiced processing. Over
four training sessions the mean number of correct responses on this demanding
test of attention significantly improved and was approaching ceiling for most
task conditions. Behavioural improvements were associated with significantly
reduced amplitude of late Processing Negativity, a frontally distributed
component of the event-related potential waveform associated with voluntary,
limited-capacity activity within higher-order attentional systems. These results
suggest that PASAT performance became more efficient as practice seemingly eased
the strategic planning and coordination requirements the task places on
frontally-mediated executive attention resources. The findings of the current
study extend our understanding of the functional and behavioural mechanisms
underlying the effects of practice. |
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Keywords: | PASAT event-related potentials practice-effects attention |
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