Research ReportAutomatic prediction regarding the next state of a visual object: Electrophysiological indicators of prediction match and mismatch

•The human brain can automatically predict the next state of a visual object.•The present study aimed to identify ERP indicators of automatic visual prediction.•We found that the prediction-mismatch process was reflected by visual MMN.•We found that the prediction-match process was reflected by the reduction of P2.•Possible mechanisms of automatic visual prediction were discussed.

Behavioral phenomena such as representational momentum suggest that the brain can automatically predict the next state of a visual object, based on sequential rules embedded in its preceding spatiotemporal context. To identify electrophysiological indicators of automatic visual prediction in terms of prediction match and mismatch, we recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while participants passively viewed three types of task-irrelevant sequences of a bar stimulus: (1) an oddball sequence, which contained a sequential rule defined by stimulus repetition, providing repetition-rule-conforming (standard) and -violating (deviant) stimuli; (2) a rotating-oddball sequence, which contained a sequential rule defined by stimulus change (i.e., rotation), providing change-rule-conforming (regular) and -violating (irregular) stimuli; and (3) a random sequence, which did not contain a sequential rule, providing a neutral (control) stimulus. This protocol allowed us to expect that (1) an ERP effect that reflects a prediction-mismatch process should be exclusively observed in both the deviant-minus-control and irregular-minus-control comparisons and (2) an ERP effect that reflects a prediction-match process should be exclusively observed in both the standard-minus-control and regular-minus-control comparisons. The results showed that the ERP effect that met the criterion for prediction mismatch was an occipito-temporal negative deflection at around 170-300 ms (visual mismatch negativity), while the ERP effect that met the criterion for prediction match was a frontal/central negative deflection at around 150-270 ms (probably, the reduction of P2). These two contrasting ERP effects support a hypothetical view that automatic visual prediction would involve both an increase in the neural response to prediction-incongruent (i.e., novel) events and a decrease in the neural response to prediction-congruent (i.e., redundant) events.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Prediction and Attention.