| Abstract: | The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the auditory event-related brain potential that occurs in response to infrequent changes in the physical properties of homogeneous series of sounds, even when Ss are instructed to ignore the auditory channel of stimulation. It has been proposed (e.g., R. N??t?nen, see record 1991-00298-001) that the MMN is generated by an automatic process in which a difference between the deviant sound and the previous, standard sound is detected by the brain. However, it is unclear how the form of memory involved is related to the rest of the memory system. The present study indicates that, for an MMN to be elicited in response to a change in tone frequency, the representation of the standard tone must be both well-established as a standard in memory and in a currently active state. The relation between physiological and psychological aspects of memory representation is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
