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An Eye for Detail: An Event‐Related Potential Study of the Rapid Processing of Fearful Facial Expressions in Children
Author(s) -
Vlamings Petra H. J. M.,
Jonkman Lisa M.,
Kemner Chantal
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01470.x
Subject(s) - psychology , facial expression , autism , face (sociological concept) , information processing , cognitive psychology , event related potential , cognition , developmental psychology , event (particle physics) , neuroscience , communication , physics , quantum mechanics , social science , sociology
There is converging evidence for the presence of a fast subcortical face‐processing route that operates on global face characteristics in the mature brain. Until now, little has been known about the development of such a route, which is surprising given suggestions that this fast subcortical face‐processing route might be affected in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. To address this, early visual event‐related potentials to pictures of fearful and neutral faces containing detailed or global information in 3‐ to 4‐year‐old ( n = 20), 5‐ to 6‐year‐old ( n = 25), and 7‐ to 8‐year‐old ( n = 25) children were compared. In children, emotional processing was driven by detailed information. Developmental effects are discussed in terms of maturation of the fast subcortical face‐processing route as well as an increase in experience with facial expressions with age.