Abstract
Feedback processing contributes to efficient learning, decision making, and social interaction. Studies using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) reveal that feedback processing is associated with transient ERP components over the medial frontal and posterior regions of the scalp that distinguish between positive and negative feedback. There is some evidence indicating that aging has differential effects on the ERP correlates of feedback processing in a gambling task, and the current study was designed to extend these findings to a reinforcement learning paradigm. Younger and older adults performed the probabilistic selection task while ERPs elicited by feedback cues indicating a correct or incorrect choice were recorded during the learning phase. The ERPs revealed that the amplitude of the feedback negativity and frontal P3 were attenuated in older adults relative to younger adults. The amplitude of a temporal positivity was also attenuated in older adults; in contrast, the amplitude of an occipital negativity was insensitive to the effects of aging. These findings indicate that aging may be associated with the disruption of both local activity and long-range connectivity between neural structures related to feedback processing.
Highlights
The ability to efficiently process feedback related to the outcome of one’s decisions represents a fundamental aspect of information processing that may be related to reinforcement learning, financial decision making, and social interaction [1,2,3]
The current study sought to examine the generalizability of previous research from our laboratory that revealed a paradoxical effect of aging on the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) correlates of feedback processing between 300 and 500 ms over the medial frontal region [6]
This effect reflected an age-related reduction in the effect of feedback on the FN, but not the frontal P3, that were both localized to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) [6]
Summary
The ability to efficiently process feedback related to the outcome of one’s decisions represents a fundamental aspect of information processing that may be related to reinforcement learning, financial decision making, and social interaction [1,2,3]. The current study sought to examine the generalizability of previous research from our laboratory that revealed a paradoxical effect of aging on the ERP correlates of feedback processing between 300 and 500 ms over the medial frontal region [6]. This effect reflected an age-related reduction in the effect of feedback on the FN, but not the frontal P3, that were both localized to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) [6]. These findings led to the suggestion that the effects of aging on the ERP correlates of feedback processing may result from the disruption of inputs to the ACC, rather than from the primary disruption of function within the ACC
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