When Tagging Frequency Matters to Attention: Effects on SSVEPs, ERPs, and Cognitive Processing

When Tagging Frequency Matters to Attention: Effects on SSVEPs, ERPs, and Cognitive Processing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article When Tagging Frequency Matters to Attention: Effects on SSVEPs, ERPs, and Cognitive Processing Jihan Yang, Olivia Carter, Mohit N. Shivdasani, David B. Grayden, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9469034/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Selective attention enables the prioritization of task-relevant information while managing distractors. Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) are widely used as a method to track this process by tagging different visual objects at distinct flicker frequencies. However, whether the choice of tagging frequency itself influences other neural and cognitive measures remains unclear. Here, 27 participants performed detection and 1-back working memory tasks while a central target and peripheral distractors flickered at either 8.6 Hz or 12 Hz. The working memory task produced slower responses, more errors, and greater perceived difficulty than detection. Tagging frequency strongly shaped neural responses, with 8.6 Hz eliciting higher SSVEP signal-to-noise ratios than 12 Hz regardless of stimulus location. Nevertheless, stronger SSVEP responses for centrally attended stimuli were associated with fewer working memory errors and larger early visual ERP responses, while SSVEPs for attended and distractor stimuli were negatively correlated. In addition, the working memory task produced a larger P1-N1 peak-to-peak difference, and tagging frequency altered the timing and amplitude of early ERP effects. Together, these findings show that tagging frequency is not a neutral methodological parameter, but one that shapes both neural indices of attention and their relationship to cognitive performance. Biological sciences/Neuroscience Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) Event-related potentials (ERPs) Frequency tagging Working memory Alpha resonance. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SSVEPSciRepSupplementaryInformationFinal.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 19 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 04 May, 2026 Editor invited by journal 29 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 21 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 21 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 20 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9469034","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":635995272,"identity":"c1f20cde-59e0-426c-854a-e360d5e7088a","order_by":0,"name":"Jihan Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"UNSW Sydney","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jihan","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":635995273,"identity":"61bf5b59-4ea3-454c-a026-675fbc7b59fe","order_by":1,"name":"Olivia Carter","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Melbourne","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Olivia","middleName":"","lastName":"Carter","suffix":""},{"id":635995274,"identity":"c91510c5-fd9b-4b72-9e4a-bdc488aec1e8","order_by":2,"name":"Mohit N. 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Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) are widely used as a method to track this process by tagging different visual objects at distinct flicker frequencies. However, whether the choice of tagging frequency itself influences other neural and cognitive measures remains unclear. Here, 27 participants performed detection and 1-back working memory tasks while a central target and peripheral distractors flickered at either 8.6 Hz or 12 Hz. The working memory task produced slower responses, more errors, and greater perceived difficulty than detection. Tagging frequency strongly shaped neural responses, with 8.6 Hz eliciting higher SSVEP signal-to-noise ratios than 12 Hz regardless of stimulus location. Nevertheless, stronger SSVEP responses for centrally attended stimuli were associated with fewer working memory errors and larger early visual ERP responses, while SSVEPs for attended and distractor stimuli were negatively correlated. In addition, the working memory task produced a larger P1-N1 peak-to-peak difference, and tagging frequency altered the timing and amplitude of early ERP effects. Together, these findings show that tagging frequency is not a neutral methodological parameter, but one that shapes both neural indices of attention and their relationship to cognitive performance.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"When Tagging Frequency Matters to Attention: Effects on SSVEPs, ERPs, and Cognitive Processing","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-13 11:02:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9469034/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"224764543515740662422504634312403514676","date":"2026-05-19T08:37:26+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"123298607317067013905142595258685735319","date":"2026-05-07T07:50:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-05-05T02:07:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-29T09:36:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-22T01:19:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-22T01:19:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-04-20T08:16:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"26123de9-cabf-4b09-b380-b6ec5f1f72d8","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"224764543515740662422504634312403514676","date":"2026-05-19T08:37:26+00:00","index":47,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"123298607317067013905142595258685735319","date":"2026-05-07T07:50:38+00:00","index":41,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"12","date":"2026-05-05T02:07:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":67688257,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience"},{"id":67688258,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology"},{"id":67688259,"name":"Social science/Psychology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-13T11:02:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-13 11:02:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9469034","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9469034","identity":"rs-9469034","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}