Research › QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
The psychophysiology of “covert” goal-directed behavior
STS Instructor Authored by Giuseppe A. Chiarenza
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Study at a glance
- Area
- QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
- Study type
- Review & meta-analysis
- Authors
- Chiarenza GA
- Journal
- Progress in Brain Research
- Year
- 2023
- Population
- Children
- Protocol
- movement-related potentials during a skilled performance task
Key findings
- Movement-related potentials can index unseen processes like intention and outcome evaluation
- A readiness potential precedes movement; a later positivity tracks awareness of success or failure
- These potentials reach adult form around age 10
- Children with developmental dyslexia show abnormal latency and amplitude
A review of published work on recording the brain activity behind mental steps that cannot be seen from outside, such as forming an intention, judging an outcome and memorising it. It describes a timing task in which people press with both thumbs to hit a short target interval and get immediate feedback, and the movement-related brain potentials recorded during it: one that builds before the movement and one that follows when the person realises whether they succeeded. These potentials mature through childhood, reaching an adult pattern around age 10, and are abnormal in timing and size in children with developmental dyslexia.