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Changes of performance monitoring with learning in older and younger adults
Author(s) -
Pietschmann Maria,
Simon Katja,
Endrass Tanja,
Kathmann Norbert
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00651.x
Subject(s) - psychology , negativity effect , stimulus (psychology) , error related negativity , audiology , developmental psychology , young adult , association (psychology) , age groups , cognitive psychology , cognition , anterior cingulate cortex , neuroscience , demography , medicine , sociology , psychotherapist
This study examined age differences in performance monitoring during learning of a stimulus–response association task. At the beginning of the learning process, amplitudes of the response‐locked error‐related negativity (ERN or Ne) and correct response‐related negativity (CRN) did not differ in both age groups. With advanced learning the response ERN/Ne increased and the CRN decreased in younger adults, but did not dissociate in older adults. Feedback ERN amplitudes decreased with learning in both age groups and were reduced in older relative to younger adults. Results indicate that performance monitoring became error specific with advanced learning in younger adults, but not in older adults. This might be due to weak representations of stimulus‐response mappings in older adults as they learned worse. The decrease of the feedback ERN with learning and aging might suggest a decline of attention paid to negative feedback.