Event-Related Potentials and Automatic Information Processing
Näätänen Risto · 2018
The predominant classification divides event-related potential (ERP) components into exogenous and endogenous components. The exogenous components are mainly determined by the external stimulus characteristics, whereas endogenous components mostly depend on the subject&s;s intentions and actions. The latency and amplitude of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) strongly depend on the characteristics of stimulation and are relatively insensitive to the conditions of stimulus delivery and to the task performed. Changing the stimulus intensity alters the ABR latency, amplitude, and morphology. The very small size of middle-latency responses, as well as their relative lability in comparison with ABR, have often led to difficulties in trying to reliably identify them and to map their scalp topography. In contrast to the exogeneous components, an ERP component called the mismatch negativity appears to provide a physiological measure, although an indirect one, of the actual sensory information processed by the brain.