The Influence of Attention on the Conflict Monitoring Event-related Potential N270 / 中国临床心理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To examine influences of attention on the conflict monitoring system. Methods:Thirty normal adults participated in the matching-to-sample task. They were divided into two subgroups. One subgroup was required to attend to the color while ignoring the value attribute of a number pair. The other subgroup was required to attend to the value while ignoring the color attribute of a number pair. Subjects were asked to press one of the two buttons according to whether the two digits were identical in the attended attribute and event-related potentials were recorded on their scalps. Results: A N270 component of event-related potential was recorded to the conflicting stimulus pairs but not to the matching pairs. The amplitude of N270 increased and its duration prolonged under attended condition. However, its onset latency showed no significant changes. Conclusion: The conflict monitoring process is automatically initiated and then regulated and enhanced by the attention control system.