ERP Correlates of Encoding Success and Encoding Selectivity in Attention Switching

Richter, Franziska R.; Yeung, Nick · 2016 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167396

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Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying successful memory encoding, specifically examining whether event-related potential (ERP) subsequent memory effects reflect selective attention to task-relevant information or general encoding success. The research addresses two primary questions: first, whether ERP correlates track memory selectivity (focused encoding) or global memory (general encoding success); and second, whether the neural mechanisms for successful encoding overlap with those governing attention switching. The authors hypothesized that subsequent memory effects would primarily reflect selective cognitive sets rather than global readiness to encode. The experimental design combined an attention-switching paradigm with a later recognition memory test. Eighteen participants (14 included in final ERP analysis) viewed compound stimuli consisting of object pictures and words. On each trial, a cue indicated whether participants should classify the object or the word as natural or human-made. Participants switched between attending to objects and words across trials. Crucially, the study distinguished between "bivalent" trials, where both an object and a word were present (requiring selective attention), and "univalent" trials, where only one category was classifiable. Following the encoding phase, participants completed a recognition memory test rating their confidence for previously seen items. The researchers defined "memory selectivity" as the difference in recognition confidence between attended and unattended items, and "global memory" as the sum of confidence ratings for both items, regardless of relevance. EEG data were recorded and analyzed for both pre-stimulus (cue-locked) and post-stimulus (stimulus-locked) periods, focusing on frontal and posterior electrode clusters. The results provided clear evidence that ERP subsequent memory effects were driven by memory selectivity rather than global memory. Post-stimulus ERP differences predicted later memory performance specifically for the selective encoding of task-relevant information, indicating that these neural signatures reflect focused attentional control. In contrast, global memory scores did not show comparable subsequent memory effects, suggesting that general encoding success does not drive these specific ERP markers. Furthermore, the study found a dissociation between the ERP correlates of attention switching and successful encoding. While behavioral data often link switching costs to memory performance, the neural data revealed that variability in encoding success occurred independently of the prestimulus demands for top-down cognitive control associated with attention switching. Specifically, post-stimulus ERP components linked to successful encoding were distinct from those modulated by the act of switching attention. These findings imply that while selective attention and selective encoding co-occur behaviorally, their neural correlates are at least partly dissociable. The study concludes that subsequent memory effects in ERPs primarily index the formation of a selective cognitive set for task-relevant information, rather than a global enhancement of mnemonic processing. This distinction clarifies the architecture of cognitive control, suggesting that the neural mechanisms supporting the effective encoding of specific information are distinct from those managing the broader demands of attention switching.

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