they are very small voltage changes in the brain that are triggered by specific events or stimuli.
how is an ERP done?
they show a target stimulus and repeat that many times, then they take an average. by doing this it essentially blocks out any extraneous variables.
what are the two categories of ERPs?
-sensory: waves that occur within the first 100 milliseconds after presentation, as they show an initial response.
-cognitive: waves after the first 100 milliseconds which reflects the way the participant evaluates the stimulus.
one strength of ERP's.
they can measure neural processes more accurately than using raw EEGs.
one strength of ERPs.
they have excellent temporal resolution
one weakness of ERPs.
to establish pure data, any and all background noise and extraneous material must be eliminated, which is near impossible.
one weakness of ERPs.
important electrical activities occurring deep in the brain aren't recorded, meaning that the generation of ERP's tend to be restricted to the neocortex.
