Error-related negativity in children: effect of an observer

This research assessed the effect of an observer upon error-related negativity (ERN) in 20 children (ages 7-11): 9 worked alone and 11 worked under the observation of a friend of theirs (alone/audience groups). Erroneous motor responses were recorded to Go and No-Go visual stimuli (triangles in different orientations) at three brain sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz). Results for children were consistent with past adult studies in showing a significantly larger ERN only to erroneous responses in both the alone and the audience groups. Children in the audience group produced larger ERNs than those in the alone group. Furthermore, older children (ages 9-11) produced larger ERNs than younger children (ages 7-8) in both groups. These findings were discussed in the context of an action monitoring system that regulates responses, detects errors, and entrains affective responses associated with correct and incorrect responses.