Examining sources of variability in repeated testing of the reward positivity and P300 ERP components
- 1The Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Lab, Department of Exercise Science, Physical Health & Education, The University of Victoria
Abstract
Introduction: Event-related potentials (ERPs) provide millisecond-resolution measurements of cognitive and affective processes, making them a foundational tool in human neuroscience research. A clear understanding of their reliability, stability, and sensitivity is therefore essential for interpreting experimental results with confidence, particularly in multi-task protocols where several ERPs are measured in sequence. The present study examined three sources of variability for two widely used components, the P300 and the rewards positivity: test-retest reliability, systematic amplitude changes across repeated measurements, and order effects.
Methods: Twenty-six adults completed five cognitive assessments distributed over approximately 2 h, with each assessment containing a visual oddball task and a two-armed bandit task; task order was independently randomized within each assessment. Reliability was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), changes across repeated assessments were tested with linear mixed-effects models, and order effects were evaluated using mixed-effects models accounting for repeated observations within participants.
Results: The P300 demonstrated excellent reliability across all five assessments (ICC = 0.91). The rewards positivity showed a clear divergence between conditional and difference-wave measures: the difference wave was moderately reliable (ICC = 0.52), while the underlying win (0.92) and loss (0.92) waves demonstrated excellent reliability. Rewards positivity amplitude showed no evidence of a linear change across assessments, whereas P300 amplitude increased systematically across the testing period. No evidence of order effects was observed for either component, indicating that task order did not meaningfully influence ERP amplitude within sessions of this length.
Discussion: Together, these findings characterize the reliability and time-related variability of the P300 and rewards positivity during repeated within-session testing and provide practical guidance for multi-task EEG protocols.
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BibTeX
@article{boere2026examining,
title = {{Examining sources of variability in repeated testing of the reward positivity and P300 ERP components}},
author = {Katherine Boere and Mathew R. Hammerstrom and Jeff A. Hopkins and Isaac K. Barss and Rae Dauphinee and Patrick J. Montgomery and Olav E. Krigolson},
journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2026.1960493},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2026.1960493/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Examining sources of variability in repeated testing of the reward positivity and P300 ERP components
AU - Katherine Boere
AU - Mathew R. Hammerstrom
AU - Jeff A. Hopkins
AU - Isaac K. Barss
AU - Rae Dauphinee
AU - Patrick J. Montgomery
AU - Olav E. Krigolson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Neuroscience
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2026.1960493
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2026.1960493/full
AB - Introduction: Event-related potentials (ERPs) provide millisecond-resolution measurements of cognitive and affective processes, making them a foundational tool in human neuroscience research. A clear understanding of their reliability, stability, and sensitivity is therefore essential for interpreting experimental results with confidence, particularly in multi-task protocols where several ERPs are measured in sequence. The present study examined three sources of variability for two widely used components, the P300 and the rewards positivity: test-retest reliability, systematic amplitude changes across repeated measurements, and order effects. Methods: Twenty-six adults completed five cognitive assessments distributed over approximately 2 h, with each assessment containing a visual oddball task and a two-armed bandit task; task order was independently randomized within each assessment. Reliability was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), changes across repeated assessments were tested with linear mixed-effects models, and order effects were evaluated using mixed-effects models accounting for repeated observations within participants. Results: The P300 demonstrated excellent reliability across all five assessments (ICC = 0.91). The rewards positivity showed a clear divergence between conditional and difference-wave measures: the difference wave was moderately reliable (ICC = 0.52), while the underlying win (0.92) and loss (0.92) waves demonstrated excellent reliability. Rewards positivity amplitude showed no evidence of a linear change across assessments, whereas P300 amplitude increased systematically across the testing period. No evidence of order effects was observed for either component, indicating that task order did not meaningfully influence ERP amplitude within sessions of this length. Discussion: Together, these findings characterize the reliability and time-related variability of the P300 and rewards positivity during repeated within-session testing and provide practical guidance for multi-task EEG protocols.
SN - 1662-453X
SN - 1662-4548
ER -