On the Number of Trials Necessary for Stabilization of Error-Related Brain Activity across the Life Span

Jason R. Themanson; Matthew B. Pontifex; Mark R. Scudder; Michael L. Brown; Kevin C. O'Leary; Chien-Ting Wu; Charles H. Hillman

On the Number of Trials Necessary for Stabilization of Error-Related Brain Activity across the Life Span

Jason R. Themanson, Matthew B. Pontifex, Mark R. Scudder, Michael L. Brown, Kevin C. O'Leary, Chien-Ting Wu, Charles H. Hillman

Illinois Wesleyan University

Research output: Journal Article › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children and young adults after six trials, but older adults required eight trials to reach similar reliability. These data indicate that the ERN and Pe may be accurately quantified with as few as six to eight commission error trials across the life span.

Original language	American English
Journal	Psychophysiology
Volume	47
State	Published - Jul 2010

Keywords

Children
Cognition
Normal Volunteers

Disciplines

Cognitive Psychology
Health Psychology
Neurosciences
Social Psychology

Cite this

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title = "On the Number of Trials Necessary for Stabilization of Error-Related Brain Activity across the Life Span",

abstract = " The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children and young adults after six trials, but older adults required eight trials to reach similar reliability. These data indicate that the ERN and Pe may be accurately quantified with as few as six to eight commission error trials across the life span.",

keywords = "Children, Cognition, Normal Volunteers",

author = "Themanson, {Jason R.} and Pontifex, {Matthew B.} and Scudder, {Mark R.} and Brown, {Michael L.} and O'Leary, {Kevin C.} and Chien-Ting Wu and Hillman, {Charles H.}",

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language = "American English",

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T1 - On the Number of Trials Necessary for Stabilization of Error-Related Brain Activity across the Life Span

AU - Themanson, Jason R.

AU - Pontifex, Matthew B.

AU - Scudder, Mark R.

AU - Brown, Michael L.

AU - O'Leary, Kevin C.

AU - Wu, Chien-Ting

AU - Hillman, Charles H.

PY - 2010/7

Y1 - 2010/7

N2 - The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children and young adults after six trials, but older adults required eight trials to reach similar reliability. These data indicate that the ERN and Pe may be accurately quantified with as few as six to eight commission error trials across the life span.

AB - The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children and young adults after six trials, but older adults required eight trials to reach similar reliability. These data indicate that the ERN and Pe may be accurately quantified with as few as six to eight commission error trials across the life span.

KW - Children

KW - Cognition

KW - Normal Volunteers

UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.00974.x/full

M3 - Article

VL - 47

JO - Psychophysiology

JF - Psychophysiology

ER -

On the Number of Trials Necessary for Stabilization of Error-Related Brain Activity across the Life Span

Abstract

Keywords

Disciplines

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