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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
The reward positivity shows increased amplitude and decreased latency with increasing age in early childhood
Laura Hennefield1, Kirsten Gilbert1, Diana Whalen1
1Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Insights
This study reveals that as children age from 4 to 6 years, their reward positivity (RewP) response to rewards becomes faster and stronger. These developmental changes in RewP latency and amplitude offer insights into early reward processing.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
Background:
- The reward positivity (RewP) is a key electroencephalography (EEG) marker for reward processing.
- Normative developmental data for the RewP in early childhood is limited.
- Understanding RewP development is crucial for characterizing typical and atypical reward processing trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of the reward positivity (RewP) in early childhood.
- To examine age-related changes in RewP latency and amplitude in 4- to 6-year-old children.
- To assess the reliability of RewP measures in this age group.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 309 children aged 4–6 years.
- Participants completed the 'Doors' guessing game task.
- EEG data were analyzed to determine RewP latency and amplitude at specific electrodes (Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz).
Main Results:
- Advancing age was associated with significantly decreased RewP latency (earlier response) and increased RewP amplitude (larger response).
- These effects were independent, with both latency and amplitude uniquely predicting age.
- RewP latency in this sample (M=381 ms) was longer than the typical 250–350 ms window, and reliability for latency and amplitude was moderate to low.
Conclusions:
- RewP timing and magnitude show significant developmental changes between ages 4 and 6.
- Both RewP latency and amplitude may serve as individual difference measures of reward processing in young children.
- Findings highlight the need for age-appropriate normative data and methodological considerations when studying RewP in early childhood.
Abstract:
The reward positivity (RewP) is a widely studied measure of neural response to rewards, yet little is known about normative developmental characteristics of the RewP during early childhood. The present study utilized a pooled community sample of 309 4- to 6-year-old children who participated in the Doors guessing game to examine the latency and amplitude of the RewP. Peak detection of the gain-loss difference waveform was conducted for electrodes Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz and the mean activity in a 100 ms window centered around this peak was analyzed. There was a significant decrease in RewP latency (RewP was earlier) and increase in RewP amplitude (RewP magnitude was larger) with advancing age in this cross-sectional analysis. Further, these were independent effects, as both RewP latency and RewP amplitude were uniquely associated with children's age. Moreover, our results indicate that the RewP latency in 4- to 6-year-olds falls outside the 250-350 ms window typically used to quantify the RewP (RewP latency in our sample = 381 ms; SD = 60.15). The internal consistency for latency (.64) and amplitude (.27) of the RewP were characterized by moderate to low reliability, consistent with previous work on the reliability of difference scores. Overall, results demonstrate RewP differences in both timing and amplitude across age in early childhood, and suggest that both amplitude and latency of the RewP might function as individual difference measures of reward processing. These findings are discussed in the context of methodological considerations and the development of reward processing across early childhood.
