Operant conditioning of auditory evoked potential amplitude in humans : the role of non-associative and myogenic factors
Date
1977
Authors
Kosnick, William David
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Abstract
The operant conditioning of human scalp recorded evoked potentials was investigated in the absence of electromyographic (EMG) artifact and non-associative factors. One subject was trained to decrease the Nl-P2 amplitude of the auditory evoked potential and three subjects were trained to increase it by receiving contingent reinforcement for the production of criterion amplitudes. Specification of the criterion neural signal and reinforcement contingencies were under on-line control of a small laboratory computer. Noncontingent reinforcement was given in baseline and an extinction period was used to control for non-associative factors.
One subject significantly decreased the Nl-P2 amplitude of the average evoked potential (AEP) as a result of the response-reinforcement contingency. Conditioning effects were specific to the criterion component and suggested functional independence of the components of the AEP.
Evoked potentials collaterally recorded from the contralateral hemisphere indicated that conditioning involved a change in evoked activity in both hemispheres. The mechanism of conditioning was related to an attentional gating mechanism that directed neural processing away from the stimulus.
Reasons for the failure of the subjects in the Increase condition to learn were attributed to an ambiguous specification of the neural component being conditioned, a long delay in the reinforcement delivery and other factors.
Operant conditioning of neural events in humans as a result of the reinforcer-response contingency alone should be interpreted with caution until further research substantiates and expands the present findings.