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Real-time tracking of motor response activation and response competition in a Stroop task in young children: a lateralized readiness potential study

Real-time tracking of motor response activation and response competition in a Stroop task in young children: a lateralized readiness potential study
Real-time tracking of motor response activation and response competition in a Stroop task in young children: a lateralized readiness potential study
The ability to select an appropriate motor response by resolving competition among alternative responses plays a major role in cognitive performance. fMRI studies suggest that the development of this skill is related to the maturation of the frontal cortex that underlies the improvement of motor inhibition abilities. However, fMRI cannot characterize the temporal properties of motor response competition and motor activation in general. We studied the development of the time course of resolving motor response competition. To this end, we used the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), an ERP measure, for tracking correct and incorrect motor cortex activation in children in real time. Fourteen children and 14 adults took part in an animal-size Stroop task where they selected between two animals, presented simultaneously on the computer screen, which was larger in real life. In the incongruent condition, the LRP detected stronger and longer lasting incorrect response activation in children than in adults. LRP results could explain behavioral congruency effects, the generally longer RT in children than in adults and the larger congruency effect in children than in adults. In contrast, the peak latency of ERP waves, usually associated with stimulus processing speed, could explain neither of the above effects. We conclude that the development of resolving motor response competition, relying on motor inhibition skills, is a crucial factor in child development. Our study demonstrates that the LRP is an excellent tool for studying motor activation in children.
0898-929X
2195-2206
Szűcs, Dénes
1020f888-a7ba-48b6-861a-42a7f6ff716c
Soltész, Fruzsina
cbc12e4b-9d6f-4c24-8203-47ae2bd8f470
Bryce, Donna
37516e02-d607-4aa2-addf-062dcf79704f
Whitebread, David
60dfffd6-2e15-4948-bea3-b3e906865c49
Szűcs, Dénes
1020f888-a7ba-48b6-861a-42a7f6ff716c
Soltész, Fruzsina
cbc12e4b-9d6f-4c24-8203-47ae2bd8f470
Bryce, Donna
37516e02-d607-4aa2-addf-062dcf79704f
Whitebread, David
60dfffd6-2e15-4948-bea3-b3e906865c49

Szűcs, Dénes, Soltész, Fruzsina, Bryce, Donna and Whitebread, David (2009) Real-time tracking of motor response activation and response competition in a Stroop task in young children: a lateralized readiness potential study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 21 (11), 2195-2206. (doi:10.1162/jocn.2009.21220). (PMID:19296726)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The ability to select an appropriate motor response by resolving competition among alternative responses plays a major role in cognitive performance. fMRI studies suggest that the development of this skill is related to the maturation of the frontal cortex that underlies the improvement of motor inhibition abilities. However, fMRI cannot characterize the temporal properties of motor response competition and motor activation in general. We studied the development of the time course of resolving motor response competition. To this end, we used the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), an ERP measure, for tracking correct and incorrect motor cortex activation in children in real time. Fourteen children and 14 adults took part in an animal-size Stroop task where they selected between two animals, presented simultaneously on the computer screen, which was larger in real life. In the incongruent condition, the LRP detected stronger and longer lasting incorrect response activation in children than in adults. LRP results could explain behavioral congruency effects, the generally longer RT in children than in adults and the larger congruency effect in children than in adults. In contrast, the peak latency of ERP waves, usually associated with stimulus processing speed, could explain neither of the above effects. We conclude that the development of resolving motor response competition, relying on motor inhibition skills, is a crucial factor in child development. Our study demonstrates that the LRP is an excellent tool for studying motor activation in children.

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Published date: 15 September 2009
Organisations: Psychology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 375347
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/375347
ISSN: 0898-929X
PURE UUID: 7657866a-81e7-43a7-84c3-52f410c2fd04

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Date deposited: 01 Apr 2015 12:17
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 19:24

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Contributors

Author: Dénes Szűcs
Author: Fruzsina Soltész
Author: Donna Bryce
Author: David Whitebread

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