Age-Related Effects on Facial Emotion Recognition in Schoolchildren: An ERP Study

The ability to recognize emotions in others is crucial for social interaction and develops during childhood. We studied the effects of age on emotional facial recognition in schoolchildren using ERP components. Children aged 6, 8, and 10 completed identity, sex, and emotion recognition (happiness, anger, sadness) tasks. The oldest group had the highest accuracy and fastest reaction times. Only the LPP component showed age-related differences, with lower amplitudes in older children. LPP showed higher amplitude during emotion recognition, which may be associated with motivational evaluation. ERP accounted for the temporal dynamics of facial processing, which involve cognitive and emotional processes.