Parallel and serial attentional processes: A developmental ERP study

We studied the development of attentional processes in parallel and serial visual search tasks. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded for chil dren (n = 40, age = 7-12 years) from 25 electrodes. Pop-out paradigms were used in the 2 parallel processing tasks; the standard stimuli were small bl ue rectangles. In the color parallel task the pop-out stimuli were small re d rectangles. In the size task the targets were large blue squares. In the serial task the targets were a conjunction of features from the parallel ta sks (i.e., large red squares). RTs varied with age and task. There were dec reases in P3 latency with age, task, and an Age x Task interaction due to s lower age-related changes in the size compared to the color task. The data suggest that developmental changes in visual selective attention are tied m ore closely to the features of the target stimuli than to the parallel-seri al distinction, results consistent with the guided search model of attentio n.