Dissociating the Effect of Noise on Sensory Processing and Overall Decision Difficulty

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2725-10.2011
• Publication Date: 2011-02-16T20:01:33Z
• Authors: Éva M. Bankó; Viktor Gál; Judit Körtvélyes; Gyula Kovács; Zoltán Vidnyánszky
• Keywords: Stimulus (psychology); Sensory Processing; Visual processing

It has been proposed that perceptual decision making involves a task-difficulty component, which detects uncertainty and guides allocation of attentional resources. is thought to take place immediately after the early extraction sensory information specifically reflected in positive component event related potentials, peaking at ∼220 ms stimulus onset. However, previous research, neural processes associated with monitoring overall task difficulty were confounded by those increased processing demands as result adding noise stimuli. Here we dissociated effect phase on using face gender categorization task. Task was manipulated either stimuli or adjusting female/male characteristics images. We found it presence not affects electrophysiological responses first 300 following onset humans. Furthermore, also showed phase-randomized compared intact faces fMRI lateral occipital cortex. These results revealed noise-induced modulation reflects visual cortical thus failed provide support for taking between later accumulation stages making.