Neural Oscillation Correlates Chemistry Decision-Making

Abstract

This study explored the electroencephalography (EEG) dynamics during a chemistry-related decision-making task and further examined whether the correctness of the decision-making performance could be reflected by EEG activity. A total of 66 undergraduate students' EEG were collected while they participated in a chemistry-related decision-making task in which they had to retrieve the relevant chemistry concepts in order to make correct decisions for each task item. The results showed that it was only in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) cluster that distinct patterns in EEG dynamics were displayed for the correct and incorrect responses. The logistic regression results indicated that ACC theta power from 300 ms to 250 ms before stimulus onset was the most informative factor for estimating the likelihood of making correct decisions in the chemistry-related decision-making task, while it was the ACC low beta power from 150 ms to 250 ms after stimulus onset. The results suggested that the ACC theta augmentation before the stimulus onset serves to actively maintain the relevant information for retrieval from long-term memory, while the ACC low beta augmentation after the stimulus onset may serve the function of mapping the encoded stimulus onto the relevant criteria that the given participant has held within his or her mind to guide the decision-making responses.