T. Okita et Jh. Wei, EFFECTS OF EYE POSITION ON EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS DURING AUDITORY SELECTIVE ATTENTION, Psychophysiology, 30(4), 1993, pp. 359-365
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from normal subjects who
received random sequences of tone pips from loudspeakers located to t
he left and right of a central point. The task was to detect occasiona
l higher pitched tones (targets) from one designated speaker. The nega
tive difference (Nd) wave between ERPs for relevant and irrelevant ton
es was largest when subjects fixated on the relevant speaker, smallest
when subjects fixated on the irrelevant speaker, and intermediate in
a central fixation. In addition, the Nd modulation for the left tones
was produced by the more negative (or less positive) shift of irreleva
nt-stimulus ERPs and the less negative shift of relevant-stimulus ERPs
associated with fixating away from the relevant speaker. These findin
gs suggest the possibility of both facilitatory and inhibitory effects
of eye position on auditory spatial attention. The substantial modula
tion of ERPs due to eye position also indicated the necessity of fixat
ion control in auditory attention ERP research.