Pietschmann Maria, Simon Katja, Endrass Tanja, Kathmann Norbert
Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Psychophysiology. 2008 Jul;45(4):559-68. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00651.x. Epub 2008 Feb 4.
This study examined age differences in performance monitoring during learning of a stimulus-response association task. At the beginning of the learning process, amplitudes of the response-locked error-related negativity (ERN or Ne) and correct response-related negativity (CRN) did not differ in both age groups. With advanced learning the response ERN/Ne increased and the CRN decreased in younger adults, but did not dissociate in older adults. Feedback ERN amplitudes decreased with learning in both age groups and were reduced in older relative to younger adults. Results indicate that performance monitoring became error specific with advanced learning in younger adults, but not in older adults. This might be due to weak representations of stimulus-response mappings in older adults as they learned worse. The decrease of the feedback ERN with learning and aging might suggest a decline of attention paid to negative feedback.
本研究考察了在学习刺激-反应关联任务过程中绩效监测的年龄差异。在学习过程开始时，两个年龄组的反应锁定错误相关负波（ERN或Ne）和正确反应相关负波（CRN）的振幅没有差异。随着学习的推进，年轻成年人的反应ERN/Ne增加而CRN减少，但在老年人中没有分离。两个年龄组的反馈ERN振幅都随着学习而降低，并且老年人相对于年轻成年人降低得更多。结果表明，在年轻成年人中，随着学习的推进，绩效监测变得针对错误，但在老年人中并非如此。这可能是由于老年人在学习较差时刺激-反应映射的表征较弱。随着学习和衰老反馈ERN的降低可能表明对负面反馈的关注度下降。
