The reliability of ERP components in the auditory oddball paradigm

Nineteen adolescents (average age 15 years, 3 months) were tested and retested using a standard 40 target, auditory oddball ERP paradigm across an interval of 1 year, 10 months to determine reliability of the ERP components, both in terms of intersubject stability and score agreement and in terms of trait (between-session reliability) versus state (within-session reliability). Significant trait stability was found for the N100, P200, and P300 latencies (r= .48, .51, and .74, respectively), and for P300 amplitude (r= .62), supporting the P300 as a reliable measure, with the stability required for group research but not necessarily for clinical applications. Discussion and examples illustrate the application of reliability information to the planning and evaluation of ERP paradigms.