| Abstract: | Behavioral indices and ERP parameters were analyzed in 5-6 years old children who were shown a previously unseen set of fragmented drawings of familiar objects. Within this set, each object was represented by a series of drawings of different degree of fragmentation. It is found that children of 5-6, when compared to 7-8 years old children, are capable to recognize less fragmented drawings. In these children, no increase was found in N350-400 prefrontal negativity and late positive complex, otherwise a typical feature of mature recognition involving executive control. A comparison of ERP for recognized vs. unrecognized stimuli showed a significant increase in P300 and N400 amplitude over the right occipital area. A key feature of children of this age is a lack of significant difference between ERP to recognized vs. unrecognized stimuli over extrastriatal cortex (T5/T6) which is the crucial structure for recognition of fragmented objects via integration of their sensory features. The data we obtained suggest that both executive control immaturity and insufficient involvement of the ventral visual system constitute a specifics of recognition in children of 5-6. |
