Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Dev Sci. 2014 Jan;17(1):1-10. doi: 10.1111/desc.12093. Epub 2013 Sep 16.
Visual segmentation, a process in which elements are integrated into a form and segregated from the background, is known to differ from adults at infancy. The further developmental trajectory of this process, and of the underlying brain mechanisms, during childhood and adolescence is unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the developmental trajectory of ERP reflections of visual segmentation, and to relate this to behavioural performance. One hundred and eleven typically developing children from 7 to 18 years of age were divided into six age groups. Each child performed two visual tasks. In a texture segmentation task, the difference in event-related potential (ERP) response to homogeneous (no visual segmentation) and checkered stimuli (visual segmentation) was investigated. In addition, behavioural performance on integration of elements into contours was measured. Both behavioural and ERP measurements of visual segmentation differed from adults in 7-12 year-old children. Behaviourally, young children were less able to integrate elements into a contour than older children. In addition, a developmental change was present in the ERP pattern evoked by homogeneous versus checkered stimuli. The largest differences in behaviour and ERPs were found between 7-8- and 9-10-, and between 11-12- and 13-14-year-old children, indicating the strongest development between those age groups. Behavioural as well as ERP measurements at 13-14 years of age showed similar results to those of adults. These results reveal that visual segmentation continues to develop until early puberty. Only by 13-14 years of age, children do integrate and segregate visual information as adults do. These results can be interpreted in terms of functional connectivity within the visual cortex.
视觉分割是一种将元素整合为一个整体并与背景分离的过程，与婴儿时期的成年人不同。目前尚不清楚该过程以及潜在的大脑机制在儿童和青少年时期的进一步发展轨迹。本研究旨在探讨视觉分割的 ERP 反射的发展轨迹，并将其与行为表现相关联。111 名来自 7 至 18 岁的典型发育儿童被分为六个年龄组。每个孩子都进行了两项视觉任务。在纹理分割任务中，研究了对同质（无视觉分割）和棋盘格刺激（视觉分割）的事件相关电位（ERP）反应的差异。此外，还测量了将元素整合到轮廓中的行为表现。7-12 岁儿童的视觉分割行为和 ERP 测量均与成年人不同。在行为上，年幼的孩子比年长的孩子更难以将元素整合到轮廓中。此外，在同质与棋盘格刺激之间诱发的 ERP 模式也存在发育变化。7-8 岁和 9-10 岁之间以及 11-12 岁和 13-14 岁之间的行为和 ERP 差异最大，表明这些年龄组之间的发育最强。13-14 岁时的行为和 ERP 测量结果与成年人相似。这些结果表明，视觉分割一直持续到青春期早期。只有到 13-14 岁，儿童才能像成年人一样整合和分离视觉信息。这些结果可以从视觉皮层内的功能连接来解释。
