Date of Award
2016
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Awarded
Master of Science (MS)
Program
Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience
Department
Psychology
College
Science and Mathematics
Faculty Advisor
Johnson, Jeffrey S.
Description
Neural oscillations in the alpha frequency band (8-12 Hz) are among the most salient and ubiquitous phenomena observed in human electroencephalographic recordings. There have been various proposals regarding the functional significance of these oscillations, including the inhibition of task-irrelevant cortical areas, and the active retention of information in visual working memory. In an attempt to delineate between these two alternatives, I recorded EEG while participants performed two tasks requiring the short-term retention of visual working memory items. The results suggest that alpha-band oscillations reflect the implementation of an attentionally selective executive control process, inhibiting task-irrelevant processing, aiding the stability of active retention.
Recommended Citation
Heinz, Andrew Jordan, "A Unitary Framework Defining the Functional Significance of Neural Oscillations in the Alpha Frequency" (2016). Psychology. 56.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/psychology/56
Rights
NDSU Policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28140