[The age-related characteristics of the correlation of involuntary and voluntary analysis during image recognition]

An experimental paradigm was used, based on the stimuli presentation in the absence and presence of the attention, directed to them; it allowed to divide involuntary (automatic) and voluntary (controlled) processing levels of the analysis, functioning parallelly in the process of real image identification. In conditions of this paradigm the regional and hemispheric organization of the evoked electrical activity (ERP and differential curves) was studied in youths aged 16-17 (11 persons) and children aged 7 (15 persons). The analysis of the differential curves revealed periods of negativation and positivation, connected with the automatic (unattended stimuli) and controlled (attended stimuli) analysis of images. Correlation of the identification success and singled out periods of differential curves has shown that in children aged 7 sensory decisions achieved on the automatic level are a significant contribution to the identification of images. Attraction of the attention to the stimulus in children aged 7 intensifies its processing, observed already after making the main decision on the character of the stimulus. In youths the success of identification correlated mainly with the processes at the controlled level; in this case the integrating role of the left frontal area at the final stage of the analysis is singled out.