Error-related brain potentials are differentially related to awareness of response errors: Evidence from an antisaccade task

The error negativity (Ne/ERN) and error positivity (Pe) are two components of the event-related brain potential (ERP) that are associated with action monitoring and error detection. To investigate the relation between error p rocessing and conscious self-monitoring of behavior, the present experiment examined whether an Ne and Pe are observed after response errors of which participants are unaware. Ne and Pe measures, behavioral accuracy, and tria l-to-trial subjective accuracy judgments were obtained from participants pe rforming an antisaccade task. which elicits Many unperceived, incorrect ref lex-like saccades. Consistent with previous research, subjectively unpercei ved saccade errors were almost always immediately corrected, and were assoc iated with faster correction times and smaller saccade sizes than perceived errors. Importantly, irrespective of whether the participant was aware of the error or not, erroneous saccades were followed by a sizable Ne. In cont rast, the Pe was much more pronounced for perceived than for unperceived er rors. Unperceived errors were characterized by the absence of posterror slo wing. These and other results are consistent with the view that the Ne and Pe reflect the activity of two separate error monitoring processes, of whic h only the later process, reflected by the Pe, is associated with conscious error recognition and remedial action.