Abstract
Describing the maturation of information processing in children is fundamental for developmental science. Although non-linear changes in reaction times have been well-documented, direct measurement of the development of the different processing components is lacking. In this study, electromyography was used to quantify the maturation of premotor and motor processes on a sample of 114 children (6-14 years-old) and 15 adults. Using a model-based approach, we show that the development of these two components is well-described by an exponential decrease in duration, with the decay rate being equal for the two components. These findings provide the first unbiased evidence in favour of the common developmental rate of nonmotor and motor processes by directly confronting rates of development of different processing components within the same task. This common developmental rate contrasts with the differential physical maturation of region-specific cerebral gray and white matter. Tentative paths of interpretation are proposed in the discussion.
Highlights
From childhood to adulthood, cognitive functions undergo massive non-linear changes: they develop considerably during early and middle childhood and more slowly in later childhood and early adolescence, which is obvious in response time (RT) studies
The magnitude of this compatibility effect on premotor time (PMT) decreased with increasing age (F(9,119) = 4.5, p < .001, np2 = .26)
In the current study, based on the EMG activity of response effectors, RTs were fractionated into a premotor time
Summary
Cognitive functions (defined broadly as mental processes underlying perception, attention, memory, reasoning, decision making, problem solving, action selection and control, etc. . .) undergo massive non-linear changes: they develop considerably during early and middle childhood and more slowly in later childhood and early adolescence, which is obvious in response time (RT) studies. . .) undergo massive non-linear changes: they develop considerably during early and middle childhood and more slowly in later childhood and early adolescence, which is obvious in response time (RT) studies. RTs decrease sharply until age of 9–10 years, and more gradually beyond that age. Such a non-linear decrease (well described by a negative exponential function–see below for details) is ubiquitous and has been found to be true for a large variety of RT tasks [1]. Synchronous development of motor and non-motor processes. RT, is an aggregated measure of cognitive processes that reveals the final output of a series of complex information processing
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