Abstract
This study compared the cognitive process of letters, hands and tooth types differentiation using P300, which is a waveform component of ERP.
We instructed 17 fifth-year clinical interns to examine diagrams of teeth, letters, and hands rotated at varying degrees. Based on waveforms elicited in the medial parietal region, P300 latency and amplitude, correct response rates, and reaction times were determined. We also measured the area of twelve segments between 300 and 600 msec.
The results show that the P300 latency for tooth differentiation is longer, P300 amplitudes smaller, and reaction times longer than for letter differentiation. However, the three parameters for tooth differentiation were generally comparable to those for hand differentiation. Differences in the area for segments from 300 to 450 msec were observed between teeth and letters and between letters and hands.
The results suggest that the difficulty of cognitive processing for differentiating teeth is similar to that for hands, but greater than that for letters.
