Abstract (300 words maximum)
Waveform Analysis of the Stop Task
In the stop-signal paradigm, subjects click the mouse button when a particular stimulus is seen. However, an occasional stop signal is shown on the screen with increasing amounts of delay from the target stimulus creating a race between responding to the target stimuli/go signal and obeying the stop command. This task is a measure of inhibitory control, a key component of executive function. Executive function is positively related to a variety of outcomes including educational level and financial outcomes. EF is protective against various mental illnesses because greater inhibition allows a person to avoid rumination by shifting their attention to other things. With a sample of n = 25 Kennesaw State University undergraduate students a 64-channel electroencephalogram was used to find a waveform that peaks at about 500ms after the go signal was shown and followed by a stop signal. This demonstrates that greater activity is required to inhibit a response than to emit a response once it has started.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Psychology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Tim Martin
Waveform Analysis of the Stop Task
Waveform Analysis of the Stop Task
In the stop-signal paradigm, subjects click the mouse button when a particular stimulus is seen. However, an occasional stop signal is shown on the screen with increasing amounts of delay from the target stimulus creating a race between responding to the target stimuli/go signal and obeying the stop command. This task is a measure of inhibitory control, a key component of executive function. Executive function is positively related to a variety of outcomes including educational level and financial outcomes. EF is protective against various mental illnesses because greater inhibition allows a person to avoid rumination by shifting their attention to other things. With a sample of n = 25 Kennesaw State University undergraduate students a 64-channel electroencephalogram was used to find a waveform that peaks at about 500ms after the go signal was shown and followed by a stop signal. This demonstrates that greater activity is required to inhibit a response than to emit a response once it has started.