Abstract
Selective attention can be guided by voluntary, effortful processes or involuntary and automatic behavior. Though attention is important in everyday functioning, relatively little is known about the neural mechanisms of this cognitive process. Using a visual working memory paradigm, I sought to describe the relationship among preparatory and information processing and behavioral performance using alpha-band power, and the N2 ERP component. A series of three experiments showed that the magnitude of the alpha-band oscillations, a characteristic of attentional engagement, modulates the N2, a component associated with selective attention.