Cognitive style, mental effort and the P300 Event-Related Potential: A neuropsychological validation of Pascual-Leone's model

The P300 Event-Related Potential (ERP) is a neuropsychological Index of the application of Mental Attentional Energy (M-energy) and Interruption (I or central inhibition). As M-energy and I are also used by Pascual-Leone (1974, 1989) to explicate Witkin's model of Field Dependence-Independence (FDI), it was hypothesised that the P300 ERP may provide a unique neuropsychological measure with which to test the construct validity of Pascual-Leone's (1974, 1989) model of FDI. Specifically, it was hypothesised that (1) while Field Dependent (FD), Field Independent (FI) and Field Mobile (FM) subjects possess the same Mental Attentional Capacity, (2) they should demonstrate marked differences in the allocation of this attentional resource (M-energy and I) to a series of arithmetic tasks (measured in terms of the magnitude of P300 areas). (3) In keeping with Pascual-Leone's (1974, 1989) model, misleading effects should be strongest for FD subjects in the right hemisphere electrode sites. (4) Because of their strong executive skill, FM subjects should display the strongest learning or habituation effect (measured as a decrease in P300 area) relative to both FI and FD subjects. (5) Finally, an exploratory analysis was carried out in order to investigate the proposal that the P300 ERP is indexical of the activation of M-energy and I related to misleading task situations while the late endogenous N475 ERP (or late negative potentials) index only M-energy (without I) required in facilitating types of cognitive situations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...