Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
Error-monitoring brain activity is associated with affective behaviors in young children
Rebecca J Brooker1, Kristin A Buss, Tracy A Dennis
1Department of Psychology, 101B Child Study Center, University Support Building I, 810 North University Drive, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States. rebeccabrooker@psu.edu
Insights
Neural correlates of error monitoring, the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe), are present in children as young as age 4. These brain signals link to attention and behavior, offering insights into early development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Neural correlates of error monitoring, including the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe), are crucial for performance monitoring.
- While evidence suggests these components appear earlier than previously thought, their presence and characteristics in very young children remain under-investigated.
- These neural markers are proposed as potential biological indicators for psychopathology risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of ERN and Pe components in very young children (ages 4-8).
- To explore the associations between these neural components and affect (shyness, boldness) and attentional control.
- To contribute to understanding the developmental trajectory of performance monitoring in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record neural activity.
- Participants (N=15, ages 4-8) engaged in two laboratory tasks: a social interaction with a stranger and a computerized flanker task.
- Behavioral data included scored shy/bold behaviors during interaction and parent-reported temperament-based affective behaviors.
Main Results:
- Both ERN and Pe components were successfully identified in children as young as age 4.
- A trend-level interaction between age and gender was found for ERN amplitudes; Pe was not significantly related to age or gender.
- Greater ERN was associated with poorer orienting, while greater Pe correlated with enhanced attentional focusing and less observed boldness.
Conclusions:
- ERN and Pe are observable in children from age 4, indicating early development of neural mechanisms for error monitoring.
- These findings suggest potential links between early error monitoring, attentional control, and behavioral inhibition (boldness).
- The study supports the utility of ERN and Pe as developmental markers for performance monitoring and potential psychopathology risk in children.
Abstract:
Despite recent evidence that neural correlates of error monitoring such as the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) are visible in children sooner than previously thought, little is known about these components early in life. Error-monitoring components can be noninvasively recorded from a very early age and have been proposed as biological markers of risk for psychopathology. Therefore, the current study represents an attempt to examine the presence of these components in a sample of very young children and explore their associations with affect and attentional control.Fifteen children between ages 4 and 8 participated in two laboratory episodes: interacting with a stranger and completing a computerized flanker task. Shy and bold behaviors were scored during the stranger interaction and parents reported on temperament-based affective behaviors. Both ERN and Pe were visible in children as young as age 4. A trend-level interaction was observed between age and gender in association with ERN amplitudes. Age and gender were unrelated to the Pe. Greater ERN and Pe were associated with better poorer orienting and greater attentional focusing, respectively. Greater Pe was also linked to less observed boldness. Implications for studies of the development of performance monitoring in children are discussed.
