Individual differences in frontal midline theta activity during visuomotor adaptation are related to execution noise

ABSTRACTFrontal midline EEG activity has been found to correlate with error magnitude during motor adaptation. We replicated a previous visuomotor adaptation experiment with very small perturbations, likely to invoke implicit adaptation, in a new group of 60 participants and combined it with EEG recordings. We used this data to explore 1) whether frontal midline activity will be evoked in the absence of awareness of the perturbation; 2) whether frontal midline activity is related to implicit adaptation; 3) whether individual differences in frontal midline activity are related to individual differences in motor learning. The results showed that frontal midline theta activity (FMΘ) is also present during small perturbations, does not drive between-trial error correction, and that the sensitivity of FMΘ to error magnitude was smaller for participants with greater execution noise. This relation between FMΘ-error-sensitivity and execution noise could be fully explained by looking at the relationship between FMΘ and error probability. This implies that frontal midline theta activity represents a surprise-like saliency signal, potentially driving awareness and cognitive control in situations with more salient errors.

Download Full-text

Individual differences in error-related frontal midline theta activity during visuomotor adaptation

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118699 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 118699

Author(s):

Zeb D. Jonker ◽

Rick van der Vliet ◽

Guido Maquelin ◽

Joris van der Cruijsen ◽

Gerard M. Ribbers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Visuomotor Adaptation ◽

Theta Activity ◽

Frontal Midline Theta

Download Full-text

Relative sensitivity of explicit reaiming and implicit motor adaptation

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00283.2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 120 (5) ◽

pp. 2640-2648 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sarah A. Hutter ◽

Jordan A. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Motor Adaptation ◽

Relative Sensitivity ◽

Sensitivity Function ◽

Prior Work ◽

Visuomotor Rotation ◽

Small Perturbations ◽

Task Relevance ◽

Error Magnitude ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

Visual Error

It has become increasingly clear that learning in visuomotor rotation tasks, which induce an angular mismatch between movements of the hand and visual feedback, largely results from the combined effort of two distinct processes: implicit motor adaptation and explicit reaiming. However, it remains unclear how these two processes work together to produce trial-by-trial learning. Previous work has found that implicit motor adaptation operates automatically, regardless of task relevance, and saturates for large errors. In contrast, little is known about the automaticity of explicit reaiming and its sensitivity to error magnitude. Here we sought to characterize the automaticity and sensitivity function of these two processes to determine how they work together to facilitate performance in a visuomotor rotation task. We found that implicit adaptation scales relative to the visual error but only for small perturbations—replicating prior work. In contrast, explicit reaiming scales linearly for all tested perturbation sizes. Furthermore, the consistency of the perturbation appears to diminish both implicit adaptation and explicit reaiming, but to different degrees. Whereas implicit adaptation always displayed a response to the error, explicit reaiming was only engaged when errors displayed a minimal degree of consistency. This comports with the idea that implicit adaptation is obligatory and less flexible, whereas explicit reaiming is volitional and flexible. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper provides the first psychometric sensitivity function for explicit reaiming. Additionally, we show that the sensitivities of both implicit adaptation and explicit reaiming are influenced by consistency of errors. The pattern of results across two experiments further supports the idea that implicit adaptation is largely inflexible, whereas explicit reaiming is flexible and can be suppressed when unnecessary.

Download Full-text

Relative sensitivity of explicit re-aiming and implicit motor adaptation

10.1101/308510 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sarah A. Hutter ◽

Jordan A. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Motor Adaptation ◽

Relative Sensitivity ◽

Sensitivity Function ◽

Prior Work ◽

Visuomotor Rotation ◽

Small Perturbations ◽

Error Magnitude ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

Task Relevancy ◽

Visual Error

AbstractIt has become increasingly clear that learning in visuomotor rotation tasks, which induce an angular mismatch between movements of the hand and visual feedback, largely results from the combined effort of two distinct processes: implicit motor adaptation and explicit re-aiming. However, it remains unclear how these two processes work together to produce trial-by-trial learning. Previous work has found that implicit motor adaptation operates automatically, regardless of task relevancy, and saturates for large errors. In contrast, little is known about the automaticity of explicit re-aiming and its sensitivity to error magnitude. Here we sought to characterize the automaticity and sensitivity function of these two processes to determine how they work together to facilitate performance in a visuomotor rotation task. We found that implicit adaptation scales relative to the visual error, but only for small perturbations – replicating prior work. In contrast, explicit re-aiming scales linearly for all tested perturbation sizes. Furthermore, the consistency of the perturbation appears to diminish both implicit adaptation and explicit re-aiming, but to different degrees. Whereas implicit adaptation always displayed a response to the error, explicit re-aiming was only engaged when errors displayed a minimal degree of consistency. This comports with the idea that implicit adaptation is obligatory and less flexible, while explicit re-aiming is volitional and flexible.

Download Full-text

Electrocortical endophenotypes of anxiety

Genes, brain, and emotions ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198793014.003.0015 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 216-234

Author(s):

Erik M Mueller

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Single Gene ◽

High Temporal Resolution ◽

Gene Variants ◽

Replication Studies ◽

Error Related Negativity ◽

Neural Processes ◽

Frontal Midline Theta ◽

Fear And Anxiety ◽

The Relationship

Individual differences in dispositional anxiety and risk for anxiety disorders are heritable. Because robust direct associations between single gene variants and complex anxiety-related phenotypes remain sparse, it is important to identify brain “endophenotypes” that mediate the relationship between genotypes and dispositional anxiety. Due to its high temporal resolution, electroencephalography (EEG) is an ideal non-invasive tool to study individual differences in basic fear and anxiety-related neural processes, which often occur within few hundred milliseconds after threat signals appear. In this chapter, putative anxiety-related EEG markers are presented including the C1, P100, N1, N170, NoGo-N2, P300, Late Positive Potential, Feedback-Related Negativity, Error-Related Negativity, frontal midline theta, and N300H brain–heart-coupling components. For each marker, heritability estimates and/or tentative associations with single gene variants are presented and discussed. While individual differences in anxiety-related EEG activity seem genetically influenced, more replication studies are needed to confirm specific links between gene variants and anxiety-related EEG markers.

Download Full-text

The Need to Belong and the Relationship Between Loneliness and Health

Zeitschrift für Gesundheitspsychologie ◽

10.1026/0943-8149/a000129 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 194-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Freda-Marie Hartung ◽

Britta Renner

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Social Situation ◽

First Year ◽

Health State ◽

Need To Belong ◽

First Year University ◽

Perceived Social Isolation ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Humans are social animals; consequently, a lack of social ties affects individuals’ health negatively. However, the desire to belong differs between individuals, raising the question of whether individual differences in the need to belong moderate the impact of perceived social isolation on health. In the present study, 77 first-year university students rated their loneliness and health every 6 weeks for 18 weeks. Individual differences in the need to belong were found to moderate the relationship between loneliness and current health state. Specifically, lonely students with a high need to belong reported more days of illness than those with a low need to belong. In contrast, the strength of the need to belong had no effect on students who did not feel lonely. Thus, people who have a strong need to belong appear to suffer from loneliness and become ill more often, whereas people with a weak need to belong appear to stand loneliness better and are comparatively healthy. The study implies that social isolation does not impact all individuals identically; instead, the fit between the social situation and an individual’s need appears to be crucial for an individual’s functioning.

Download Full-text

Attachment and Field Dependence: Individual Differences in Information Processing

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.9.1.43 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 43-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Patrizia Vermigli ◽

Alessandro Toni

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Field Dependence ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Adult Age ◽

Males And Females ◽

Figure Test ◽

The Relationship ◽

Measure Field

The present research analyzes the relationship between attachment styles at an adult age and field dependence in order to identify possible individual differences in information processing. The “Experience in Close Relationships” test of Brennan et al. was administered to a sample of 380 individuals (160 males, 220 females), while a subsample of 122 subjects was given the Embedded Figure Test to measure field dependence. Confirming the starting hypothesis, the results have shown that individuals with different attachment styles have a different way of perceiving the figure against the background. Ambivalent and avoidant individuals lie at the two extremes of the same dimension while secure individuals occupy the central part. Significant differences also emerged between males and females.

Download Full-text

Individual Differences in Students' Preferences for Lecturers' Personalities

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001.26.4.176 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 176-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Adrian Furnham ◽

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Big Five ◽

Student Ratings ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Personality Profile ◽

Similarity Effect ◽

Intelligence Scores ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. This study examines the relationship between students' personality and intelligence scores with their preferences for the personality profile of their lecturers. Student ratings (N = 136) of 30 lecturer trait characteristics were coded into an internally reliable Big Five taxonomy ( Costa & McCrae, 1992 ). Descriptive statistics showed that, overall, students tended to prefer conscientious, open, and stable lecturers, though correlations revealed that these preferences were largely a function of students' own personality traits. Thus, open students preferred open lecturers, while agreeable students preferred agreeable lecturers. There was evidence of a similarity effect for both Agreeableness and Openness. In addition, less intelligent students were more likely to prefer agreeable lecturers than their more intelligent counterparts were. A series of regressions showed that individual differences are particularly good predictors of preferences for agreeable lecturers, and modest, albeit significant, predictors of preferences for open and neurotic lecturers. Educational and vocational implications are considered.

Download Full-text

Investment Traits and Intelligence in Adulthood

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000101 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 82-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sophie von Stumm

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Fluid Intelligence ◽

Need For Cognition ◽

Openness To Experience ◽

Intelligence Tests ◽

Crystallized Intelligence ◽

New Knowledge ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Intelligence-as-knowledge in adulthood is influenced by individual differences in intelligence-as-process (i.e., fluid intelligence) and in personality traits that determine when, where, and how people invest their intelligence over time. Here, the relationship between two investment traits (i.e., Openness to Experience and Need for Cognition), intelligence-as-process and intelligence-as-knowledge, as assessed by a battery of crystallized intelligence tests and a new knowledge measure, was examined. The results showed that (1) both investment traits were positively associated with intelligence-as-knowledge; (2) this effect was stronger for Openness to Experience than for Need for Cognition; and (3) associations between investment and intelligence-as-knowledge reduced when adjusting for intelligence-as-process but remained mostly significant.

Download Full-text

The role of personality in shaping pandemic response: Systemic sociopolitical factors drive country differences

10.31234/osf.io/m9vj2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Meghan Siritzky ◽

David M Condon ◽

Sara J Weston

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Big Five ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Economic Factors ◽

State Fragility ◽

Systemic Factors ◽

Pandemic Response ◽

The Relationship

The current study utilizes the current COVID-19 pandemic to highlight the importance of accounting for the influence of external political and economic factors in personality public-health research. We investigated the extent to which systemic factors modify the relationship between personality and pandemic response. Results shed doubt on the cross-cultural generalizability of common big-five factor models. Individual differences only predicted government compliance in autocratic countries and in countries with income inequality. Personality was only predictive of mental health outcomes under conditions of state fragility and autocracy. Finally, there was little evidence that the big five traits were associated with preventive behaviors. Our ability to use individual differences to understand policy-relevant outcomes changes based on environmental factors and must be assessed on a trait-by-trait basis, thus supporting the inclusion of systemic political and economic factors in individual differences models.

Download Full-text