EEG ERP Long ERP I - Memory and Decision (400–900 ms) - Lat Brain Bee SfN 2025
EEG ERP Long ERP I - Memory and Decision (400–900 ms) - Lat Brain Bee SfN 2025
Consciousness in First Person
I am Consciousness stretched in time. Between 400 and 900 milliseconds, I no longer live only through surprises and sensory gates: now I compare, judge, and decide. Each stimulus that passes through my earlier filters rests on the table of working memory. Here, I weave narratives, recover memories, and ask: is it worth acting? I am the slow wave that prepares decisions, the space where emotion turns into feeling and fixes into enduring memory.
1. What Are Long ERPs (400–900 ms)?
Long-latency potentials include components such as:
Late Positive Potential (LPP, 400–700 ms): linked to sustained emotional evaluation.
Slow Wave (up to 900 ms): reflecting integration in working memory and preparation for action.
Unlike short ERPs, which filter and prioritize stimuli, long ERPs are tied to complex cognitive and emotional processes, including moral judgment, episodic memory, and decision-making.
2. The LPP – Sustained Emotion in Circuit
The LPP appears between 400 and 700 ms and is highly sensitive to emotional stimuli.
The more emotionally relevant (pleasant or unpleasant), the larger the amplitude of the LPP.
It acts as a bridge between bioelectrical emotion (fast and short-lived) and stable feelings, which guide decisions.
Example: on social media, a shocking or moving post can hold attention for seconds, amplifying the LPP.
3. Slow Wave – Integration into Memory and Decision
Extending up to 900 ms, the Slow Wave represents the brain’s attempt to hold onto information for contextual evaluation.
This activity links frontal and parietal areas, integrating perception, memory, and motivation.
Example: in a strategy game, deciding on the next move depends on this extended integration window.
4. Fast Emotions vs. Lasting Feelings
Emotions are bioelectrical discharges that fade in seconds.
When captured by long ERPs (LPP, Slow Wave), they may transform into feelings, which modulate memory and identity.
If this process repeats in cycles, it can foster emotional dependence on certain stimuli (positive or negative).
5. Games, Social Media, and the Exploitation of Long ERPs
Digital platforms engineer stimuli that prolong emotional engagement:
Games: cinematic cutscenes, epic wins, frustrating defeats.
Social Media: dramatic narratives, polarizing posts, suspense-driven videos.
These formats directly exploit the LPP and Slow Wave, keeping users in states of prolonged evaluation and reinforcing emotional memory consolidation.
6. Transversal Frame – The 72h Loop (Applied to Long ERPs)
Exploited Emotion | Long ERP Response (400–900 ms) | Example in Games/Social Media |
Surprise & Expectation | LPP increases with emotional images | Dramatic cutscenes, video climaxes |
Fear & Anxiety (FOMO) | Slow Wave sustains attention in suspense | Headlines with uncertainty, suspense in games |
Anger & Disgust (Indignation) | LPP amplified by negative stimuli | Polarizing posts, heated debates |
Joy & Quick Pleasure | Positive LPP with rewarding content | Victory animations, reaction features |
Bond & Belonging | Slow Wave keeps social memory active | Prolonged group interactions online |
Critical Summary: the longer a stimulus sustains emotional attention, the higher the chance of consolidating memories and shaping preferences.
7. Critical Conclusion
The long ERPs (400–900 ms) show how consciousness shifts from surprise into reflective evaluation.
The LPP transforms short-lived emotions into sustained feelings.
The Slow Wave holds information, binds it to memory, and prepares decisions.
Games, social media, and advertising exploit these mechanisms by sustaining immersion, turning decision-making into an emotional trap. The result is the reinforcement of strong emotional memories that can bias choices and fuel dependency.
Without critical awareness of this process, we remain vulnerable to emotional capture and the reinforcement of aversive memories — the basis of a shallow culture built on strong feelings but little reflection.
References
Hajcak, G., & Foti, D. (2020). LPP as a biomarker of sustained emotional processing. Psychophysiology.
Schupp, H. T., et al. (2021). ERP markers of motivated attention: revisiting the LPP. International Journal of Psychophysiology.
Hajcak, G., & Klawohn, J. (2022). Emotion, attention, and the late positive potential. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience.
Bublatzky, F., et al. (2023). Slow wave ERPs and integration of emotional information in working memory. NeuroImage.
Klawohn, J., et al. (2023). From emotion to decision: ERP evidence for extended processing windows. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience.
