Binding occurs at early stages of processing in children and adults.
Conjoining features in a high-rate serial presentation was studied in children and adults using event-related potentials. Three blocks of trials were run in which targets were defined by colour, by orientation or by a conjunction of colour and orientation. Only adults had faster RTs when detecting targets defined by a single feature than by a combination of features. Compared with adults, children had longer RTs, longer N1 and P2 latencies, and larger P1 and P2 amplitudes. Amplitudes asymmetries were consistent with differing cortical regions being implicated in the processing of colour and form. There were, however, no ERP latency effects as a function of task, suggesting that the binding of features proceeds in parallel with the processing of single features.
Theunissen
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EL
CerCo CNRS-UMR 5549, Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, 133 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France.
Alain
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C
Chevalier
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H
Taylor
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MJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*