Evoked potential correlates of human information processing.

The late positive component (P3) of the feedback evoked potential was investigated in two tasks: the detection of near-threshold auditory stimuli, and the estimation of 1 s time intervals. When the intensity or probability of the threshold stimuli was varied in the detection task, it became apparent that the feedback P3 was related to the 'contingent probability' of confirming or disconfirming feedback given a particular response. In the time-estimation task the relative probabiliti-s of confirming and disconfirming feedback were altered by changing the time-window wherein a response was judged correct. In these experiments it was found that the feedback P3 component was highly dependent upon the probability of the feedback, and relatively independent of its confirming or disconfirming meaning. With decreasing probability of the feedback stimuli, the P3 component became larger, later, and somewhat more frontal.