Temporal expectations

In a series of auditory experiments using the roving standard paradigm, I manipulate both time-based (when) and feature-based (what) aspects of prediction to determine if and how they facilitate behavior. Electroencephalographic (EEG) data is concurrently recorded to verify if high or low frequencies differentially encode predictions. I find a division of labor, in that phase coherence at low frequencies (delta and theta bands, 1–7 Hz, see Figure 1) predominantly seems to reflect attention capture by feature changes, while oscillatory power at higher frequency bands, alpha (8–12 Hz) and beta (13–25 Hz) reflects attending event in time (see Figure 2). Power and phase coherence predicted different portions of response speed variance. Currently, I am testing the extent to which isochrony in stimulus delivery is really necessary, or even beneficial, for behavioral performance.