Abstract: Preschool children
show neural responses and make behavioral adjustments immediately following an
error. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding how neural responses to
error predict subsequent behavioral adjustments during childhood. The aim of
our study was to explore the neural dynamics of error processing and associated
behavioral adjustments in preschool children from unsatisfied basic needs (UBN)
homes. Using EEG recordings during a go/no-go task, we examined within-subject
associations between the error-related negativity (ERN), frontal theta power, post-error
slowing, and post-error accuracy. Post-error accuracy increased linearly with
post-error slowing, and there was no association between the neural activity of
error processing and post-error accuracy. However, during successful error
recovery, the frontal theta power, but not the ERN amplitude, was associated
positively with post-error slowing. These findings indicated that preschool children
from UBN homes adjusted their behavior following an error in an adaptive form
and that the error-related theta activity may be associated with the adaptive
forms of post-error behavior. Furthermore, our data support the adaptive theory
of post-error slowing and point to some degree of separation between the neural
mechanisms represented by the ERN and theta.
Pietto, M.L., Giovannetti, F., Segretin, M.S., Lipina, S.J., Kamienkowski, J.E. (2023). “EEG dynamics of error processing and associated behavioral adjustments in preschool children”. Brain Sciences, 13, 575. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040575
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