Premium
The neural correlates of Chinese children's spontaneous trait inferences: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence
Author(s) -
Jia Lei,
Zhang Changjie,
Heyman Gail D.,
Wang Cheng,
Wang Jun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
psych journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 2046-0260
pISSN - 2046-0252
DOI - 10.1002/pchj.392
Subject(s) - n400 , electroencephalography , trait , event related potential , psychology , audiology , neural correlates of consciousness , electrophysiology , dominance (genetics) , developmental psychology , cognition , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , biology , medicine , computer science , biochemistry , gene , programming language
The results of multiple behavioral investigations indicate that children can develop spontaneous trait inferences (STIs) starting from when they are 8–9 years of age. However, little is known about the neural correlates of STIs when they first develop. In the present study, we measured event‐related potentials (ERPs) and event‐related spectral perturbation (ERSP) using an N400 paradigm. Seventeen 9‐year‐old Chinese children were first instructed to remember facial photos and paired trait‐implying behaviors. Subsequently, they performed a lexical decision task in which faces were used to prime the inferred traits or their antonyms. Compared to the inferred traits, the antonyms exhibited a stronger amplitude on both N400 (370–500 ms) and negative slow wave (NSW; 550–800 ms). However, only N400 showed a right hemispheric dominance of STIs. In addition, ERSP results revealed stronger lower alpha band (7–10 Hz) activity for antonyms than inferred traits over the right parieto‐occipital area from 420 ms to 800 ms. These findings, coupled with the electroencephalography (EEG) source localization (standardized low‐resolution electromagnetic tomography [sLORETA]), provide evidence for a “monitoring‐control” two‐stage neural network.