The relationship between cognitive style and event-related potentials during auditory and somatosensory Go/No-go paradigms

Cognitive style including field dependence/independence (FDI) is an important factor affecting individual personalities. The present study aimed to clarify the relationship between cognitive styles and the characteristics of cognitive processing using event-related potentials. We used the Embedded-Figures Test to assess the cognitive styles [field dependence (FD), field independence (FI)] of the individuals, and individuals performed auditory and somatosensory Go/No-go paradigms. Participants were divided into two groups (FD and FI) on the basis of EFT scores. Reaction times during auditory Go/No-go paradigms were significantly earlier in the FI group than in the FD group, and response variabilities and omission errors were significantly smaller in the FI group than in the FD group. Go-P300 and No-go-P300 amplitudes were significantly larger in the FI group than in the FD group, suggesting that the FI group exhibited greater neural activity for response executive and inhibitory processing. No significant differences were observed in the amplitudes or latencies of auditory N100 and somatosensory N140 components between the FI and FD groups, suggesting that auditory-related and somatosensory-related neural activities were not related to FDI cognitive styles. Our results showed that FDI cognitive styles were related to neural activity for response executive and inhibitory processing.