Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1980

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Abstract

Visual and auditory evoked potentials were studied in a selective attention paradigm similar to that of Posner and Boies (1971) wherein a visual letter-matching task was interrupted by auditory probes on selected trials. A neural inhibition model of the P300 component was proposed which generated the hypothesis that the P300 component in response to auditory probes would be greatest in amplitude to probes which occurred between the two to-be-remembered test letters and smaller in amplitude to probes which occurred before the presentation of the first test letter. General support for the neural inhibition model was found, however, systematically shifting prestimulus baselines were also observed within these time intervals thereby raising the possibility that the differences in P300 amplitudes were due to nonspecific changes in the general arousal level of the subject. It was also found that instruction-induced differences in response speed affected the amplitude of the evoked potential components in a way which could most parsimoniously be attributed to shifts in general arousal.

Extent

158 p.

Comments

Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1980.|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1980.

Identifier

FADT14032

Format

pdf

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