CEREBRAL EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTIVE ATTENTIONTO COLOR - DEVELOPMENTAL-CHANGES FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD

Event-related potentials were recorded from 80 participants ranging in age from 7 to 24 years while they attended selectively to stimuli wit h a specified color (red or blue) in an attempt to detect the occurren ce of target stimuli. Color attention effects were identified as front al selection positivity (FSP; 140-275 ms), selection negativity (SN; 1 50-300 ms), and N2b (200-450 ms), whereas target detection was reflect ed in P3b (300-700 ms). There were age-related decreases in the latenc ies of FSP, N2b, and P3b that paralleled decreases in reaction time an d error rates. Also, the SN amplitude increased with advancing age, wh ereas both N2b and P3b showed changes in scalp topography. These resul ts represent neurophysiological evidence that the efficiency of visual selective processes increases during childhood and adolescence. Devel opmental growth may take place at both relatively early and late level s of visual selective information processing.