Abstract
Neurodevelopmental evidence suggests that children’s main decision-making strategy is to avoid options likely to induce punishment. However, the cognitive and affective factors contributing to children’s avoidance to high punishment frequency remain unknown. The present study explored psychophysiological, cognitive, and metacognitive processes associated with sensitivity to punishment frequency. We evaluated 54 participants (between 8 and 15 years old) with a modified Iowa Gambling Task for children (IGT-C) which included options with varying long-term profit and punishment frequencies. Skin conductance responses (SCRs) were recorded during this task. Additionally, we assessed IGT-C metacognitive knowledge, fluid intelligence, and executive functions. Participants exhibited behavioral avoidance and high anticipatory SCRs to options with high frequency of punishment. Moreover, age, IGT-C metacognitive knowledge, and inhibitory control were associated with individual differences in sensitivity to punishment frequency. Our results suggest that children’s preference for infrequently punished decisions is partially explained by psychophysiological signals as well as task complexity and development of cognitive control.
Highlights
Ferb, an eleven-year-old boy, is completing an e-tutorial in preparation for a math exam
A comparison of decks with different punishment frequency showed that children significantly selected more cards from decks with low than high punishment frequency in both advantageous deck (AD) (AD-L > AD included high punishment frequency (AD-H); F (1, 53) = 19.88, p = .001) and disadvantageous deck (DD) (DD-L > DD-H; F (1, 53) = 19.88, p = .001)
By using a modified Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) suitable for children, this study demonstrated that participants between 8 to 14 years-old develop anticipatory psychophysiological signals that accompany their preference for advantageous options with infrequent punishment
Summary
An eleven-year-old boy, is completing an e-tutorial in preparation for a math exam. He is frustrated by the visual and auditory cues indicating errors in the tutorial. He is eager to finish the exercises quickly and play his favorite videogame. Decision-making requires making trade-offs such as suppressing the need for immediate reward and tolerating punishments or errors in the short term, in order to achieve long-term goals. Neurodevelopmental studies suggest that children’s main decision-making strategy is to avoid options with a high frequency of punishment [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The psychophysiological and cognitive processes contributing to sensitivity to punishment frequency remain unknown
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
