Error-related potentials and error awareness : A meta-analysis

Sammanfattning: Performance monitoring is a crucial metacognitive function that allows for adaptive behaviour. Electrophysiological studies on error monitoring specifically, have shown how error trials in different tasks elicit two distinct signatures, the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe). While studies find a robust relation between error awareness and the Pe, results regarding error awareness and the ERN are more divergent. Also, no agreement has been reached on the mechanisms that elicit these signals. This meta-analysis aims to explore the relation between these electrophysiological signatures and error awareness and how disparities in study design might explain divergent study results. Two meta-analyses were conducted and found a significant effect-size for error awareness on both the ERN and the Pe. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore how different study-characteristics can influence these outcomes. Although no effects were found, these results remain mainly inconclusive since the number of included studies was very low, and their study designs quite similar.