Investigating the impact of attention and cognitive control on prediction error in children and adolescents using auditory stimulus omissions

• Applicant: Dr. Tjerk Dercksen
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548298273

Perception is assumed to arise from the comparison of sensory predictions with actual input, where wrong predictions result in prediction errors. These errors have been discussed to serve as critical signals that shape learning and development. However, little is known about how immature cognitive functions influence prediction errors in the developing brain. During middle childhood and early adolescence, important top-down functions still develop that may influence predictive processing. This project aims to investigate two types of top-down influences – attention and cognitive control – and their impact on prediction error during development. Studying prediction error in the brain using unexpected stimuli poses challenges due to confounding factors related to bottom-up stimulus processing. To overcome this, the proposed project employs an approach where actions are linked to sensory consequences, and occasionally the predicted sensory outcome is omitted. This reveals prediction-related processes uncontaminated by concurrent sensory input. Specifically, button presses are coupled to sounds, and EEG is used to measure brain activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that the omission of predicted auditory stimuli triggers a sequence of responses that reflect different levels of prediction error processing in the brain. This innovative method allows for detailed and unconfounded insights into prediction error. The first study aims to examine effects of attention on prediction error processing during development in children (8-9 years), adolescents (11-12 years), and in adults. While attention is known to play a crucial role in learning, its specific neural interactions with prediction error during development remains poorly understood. By analyzing the effects of voluntary attention on omission responses, the influence of attention can be isolated and studied on different levels of prediction error processing in the brain. The second study will investigate the developing influence of cognitive control functions on the elicitation of prediction error during middle childhood (7-8 years) and adolescence (11-12 years) and compare this to adults. These functions are still immature in children and young adolescents, presumably due to maturing frontal brain areas. This study examines the effects of cognitive control functions, particularly switching and inhibition, on omission responses to elucidate effects on prediction error. Finally, the writing of a comprehensive literature review on the role of prediction error during development completes the project. In this quickly evolving topic, a thorough exploration of the different lines of relevant research will support future studies and help identify key gaps in our understanding. The knowledge gained in this project not only enhances our understanding of the neural pathways of prediction and their development, but is additionally relevant to education and understanding brain disorders.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants