TY - JOUR
T1 - Bioelectrical Echoes From Evaluative Categorizations
T2 - I. A Late Positive Brain Potential That Varies as a Function of Trait Negativity and Extremity
AU - Cacioppo, John T.
AU - Crites, Stephen L.
AU - Gardner, Wendi L.
AU - Berntson, Gary G.
PY - 1994/7
Y1 - 1994/7
N2 - Attitudes can be conceptualized in terms of the elementary operations of evaluative categorization and response selection-execution. This article describes a component of the event-related potential that is associated with the first of these operations. Ss were exposed to sequences of 6 traits and performed a dichotomous evaluative categorization task. Evaluative inconsistency was varied by embedding very positive, moderately positive, moderately negative, and very negative traits in sequences containing predominantly very positive traits. Highly and moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits, compared with mildly inconsistent or consistent traits, evoked a larger amplitude late positive potential (LPP) that was maximal over centroparietal regions. Furthermore, extremely evaluatively inconsistent traits evoked a larger amplitude LPP than moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits even though both sets of traits were judged to be negative.
AB - Attitudes can be conceptualized in terms of the elementary operations of evaluative categorization and response selection-execution. This article describes a component of the event-related potential that is associated with the first of these operations. Ss were exposed to sequences of 6 traits and performed a dichotomous evaluative categorization task. Evaluative inconsistency was varied by embedding very positive, moderately positive, moderately negative, and very negative traits in sequences containing predominantly very positive traits. Highly and moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits, compared with mildly inconsistent or consistent traits, evoked a larger amplitude late positive potential (LPP) that was maximal over centroparietal regions. Furthermore, extremely evaluatively inconsistent traits evoked a larger amplitude LPP than moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits even though both sets of traits were judged to be negative.
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U2 - 10.1037/0022-3514.67.1.115
DO - 10.1037/0022-3514.67.1.115
M3 - Article
C2 - 8046583
AN - SCOPUS:0028472784
SN - 0022-3514
VL - 67
SP - 115
EP - 125
JO - Journal of personality and social psychology
JF - Journal of personality and social psychology
IS - 1
ER -