title: Cognitive control adjustments in healthy older and younger adults: Conflict adaptation, the error-related negativity (ERN), and evidence of generalized decline with age.
abstract: Older adults display alterations in neural reflections of conflict-related processing. We examined response times (RTs), error rates, and event-related potential (ERP; N2 and P3 components) indices of conflict adaptation (i.e., congruency sequence effects) a cognitive control process wherein previous-trial congruency influences current-trial performance, along with post-error slowing, correct-related negativity (CRN), error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) amplitudes in 65 healthy older adults and 94 healthy younger adults. Older adults showed generalized slowing, had decreased post-error slowing, and committed more errors than younger adults. Both older and younger adults showed conflict adaptation effects; magnitude of conflict adaptation did not differ by age. N2 amplitudes were similar between groups; younger, but not older, adults showed conflict adaptation effects for P3 component amplitudes. CRN and Pe, but not ERN, amplitudes differed between groups. Data support generalized declines in cognitive control processes in older adults without specific deficits in conflict adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States; Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States. Electronic address: michael_larson@byu.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Clayson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States.
authors.forename: Cierra M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
authors.forename: Isaac J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States; Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
authors.forename: Dawson W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hedges
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
authors.forename: Brent L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
authors.forename: Vaughn R A
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Call
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Anterior cingulate (ACC); Cognitive control; Conflict adaptation; Congruency sequence effects; Error positivity (Pe); Error-related negativity (ERN); Event-related potential; N2; Older adult; Post-error slowing