We examined event-related electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations, including event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP) and intertrial coherence (ITC), to compare feedback processing during a chance-based reward vs. non-reward task in groups of 10-12-year-old (n=42), 13-14-year-old (n=34) and 15-17-year-olds (n=32). Because few, if any studies have applied these analytic methods to examine feedback processing in children or adolescents, we used a fine-grained approach that explored one half hertz by 16ms increments during feedback (no win vs. win events) in the theta (4-8Hz) frequency band. Complex wavelet frequency decomposition revealed that no win feedback was associated with enhanced theta power and phase coherence. We observed condition and age-based differences for both ERSP and ITC, with stronger effects for ITC. The transition from childhood to early adolescence (13-14yrs.) was a point of increased differentiation of ITC favoring no win vs. wins feedback and also compared to children or older adolescents, a point of heightened ITC for no win feedback (quadratic effect).
Keywords: Adolescence; Event-related spectral analysis; Inter-trial phase coherence; Reward; Theta oscillations.
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