title: Conflict and performance monitoring throughout the lifespan: An event-related potential (ERP) and temporospatial component analysis.
abstract: Cognitive control includes higher-level cognitive processes used to evaluate environmental conflict. Given the importance of cognitive control in regulating behavior, understanding the developmental course of these processes may contribute to a greater understanding of normal and abnormal development. We examined behavioral (response times [RTs], error rates) and event-related potential data (N2, error-related negativity [ERN], correct-response negativity [CRN], error positivity [Pe]) during a flanker task in cross-sectional groups of 45 youth (ages 8-18), 52 younger adults (ages 20-28), and 58 older adults (ages 56-91). Younger adults displayed the most efficient processing, including significantly reduced CRN and N2 amplitude, increased Pe amplitude, and significantly better task performance than youth or older adults (e.g., faster RTs, fewer errors). Youth displayed larger CRN and N2, attenuated Pe, and significantly worse task performance than younger adults. Older adults fell either between youth and younger adults (e.g., CRN amplitudes, N2 amplitudes) or displayed neural and behavioral performance that was similar to youth (e.g., Pe amplitudes, error rates). These findings point to underdeveloped neural and cognitive processes early in life and reduced efficiency in older adulthood, contributing to poor implementation and modulation of cognitive control in response to conflict. Thus, cognitive control processing appears to reach peak performance and efficiency in younger adulthood, marked by improved task performance with less neural activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clawson
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, Saint 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: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catron
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
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D032763:Behavior Control / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D065855:Spatial Processing / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive control; Correct-response negativity; Development; Error positivity; Error-related negativity; N2