Detecting the onset of the lateralized readiness potential: A comparison of available methods and procedures

Studies that measure the onset of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) could well provide researchers with important new data concerning the info rmation-processing locus of experimental effects of interest. However. dete cting the onset of the LRP has proved difficult. The present study used com puter simulations involving both human and artificial data, and both stimul us- and response-locked effects, to compare a wide variety of techniques fo r detecting and estimating differences in the onset latency of the LRP. Acr oss the two sets of simulations,different techniques were found to be the m ost accurate and reliable for the analysis of stimulus- and response-locked data. On the basis of these results, it is recommended that regression-bas ed methods be used to analyze most LRP data.