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The transition from implicit to explicit representations in incidental learning situations: more evidence from high-frequency EEG coupling

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Abstract

Implicit learning, i.e. knowledge acquisition in incidental learning situations, is a fundamental feature of the human mind. The extraction of (and subsequent adaptation to) regular patterns in the environment facilitates everyday actions. The cognitive and neural processes accompanying the transition from subconscious (implicit) to verbally reportable (explicit) knowledge about task contingencies are of high interest to the cognitive neurosciences, since they indicate a process that generates awareness for learned associations. Previous studies indicated an important role of high-frequency coupling (gamma-band) for the process that initiates the emergence of awareness for an implicitly learned task-underlying structure. It is unclear, however, whether this EEG coupling is indicative of a general, task-independent process accompanying the shift between implicit and explicit knowledge. To test the general role of this synchrony effect, we investigated EEG gamma-band coherence in the time period where this transition takes place using a serial reaction time paradigm. As expected, we find increased coupling in the gamma-band EEG between right prefrontal and occipital electrode sites just before the behavioural manifestation of emerging explicit sequence representation. These results support both the notion of general involvement of widespread cortical associative couplings in the generation of conscious knowledge and the necessity to study emerging consciously available memory representations using fine-grained properties of behavioural data.

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Notes

  1. The MATLAB functions for these analyses are available from the corresponding author upon request.

  2. Be aware that this preprocessing step is not absolutely necessary prior to blind source separation using ICA, yet it is highly recommended (Delorme et al. 2007), because it prevents spurious stretches of high-power artifact activity (like a subject scratching its head, touching a cable, or yawning excessively) to limit the component subspace for event-related and stereotyped activity. There are also other methods of blind and semi-blind source separation (BSS) available (e.g. Barbati et al. 2008; Porcaro et al. 2010); but for the purposes of this manuscript, where BSS was only used to correct for stereotyped artifact activity, ICA has established itself as the most widely used method.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, R. 3133 McGill Hall, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Jan R. Wessel

  2. NeuroImage Nord, Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center of Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Jan R. Wessel & Michael Rose

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Hilde Haider

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  1. Jan R. Wessel
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  2. Hilde Haider
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  3. Michael Rose
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Correspondence to Jan R. Wessel.

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Wessel, J.R., Haider, H. & Rose, M. The transition from implicit to explicit representations in incidental learning situations: more evidence from high-frequency EEG coupling. Exp Brain Res 217, 153–162 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-011-2982-7

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