Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm
Examining how young infants respond to unexpected events is key to our understanding of their emerging concepts about the world around them. From a predictive processing perspective, it is intriguing to investigate how the infant brain responds to unexpected events (i.e., prediction errors), because...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-08-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921003517 |
| _version_ | 1818639887535964160 |
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| author | Moritz Köster Miriam Langeloh Christine Michel Stefanie Hoehl |
| author_facet | Moritz Köster Miriam Langeloh Christine Michel Stefanie Hoehl |
| author_sort | Moritz Köster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Examining how young infants respond to unexpected events is key to our understanding of their emerging concepts about the world around them. From a predictive processing perspective, it is intriguing to investigate how the infant brain responds to unexpected events (i.e., prediction errors), because they require infants to refine their predictions about the environment. Here, to better understand prediction error processes in the infant brain, we presented 9-month-olds (N = 36) a variety of physical and social events with unexpected versus expected outcomes, while recording their electroencephalogram (EEG). We found a pronounced response in the ongoing 4–5 Hz theta rhythm for the processing of unexpected (in contrast to expected) events, for a prolonged time window (2 s) and across all scalp-recorded electrodes. The condition difference in the theta rhythm was not related to the condition difference in infants’ event-related activity to unexpected (versus expected) events in the negative central (Nc) component (0.4–0.6 s), a component, which is commonly analyzed in infant violation of expectation studies using EEG. These findings constitute critical evidence that the theta rhythm is involved in the processing of prediction errors from very early in human brain development. We discuss how the theta rhythm may support infants’ refinement of basic concepts about the physical and social environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T23:02:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e80caf3a61f14e269577675cb76ebccd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T23:02:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj.art-e80caf3a61f14e269577675cb76ebccd2022-12-21T22:12:42ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722021-08-01236118074Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythmMoritz Köster0Miriam Langeloh1Christine Michel2Stefanie Hoehl3Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Corresponding author at: Faculty of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Hauptstraße 47 – 51, 69117 Heidelberg, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Marschnerstrasse 31, 04109 Leipzig, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, AustriaExamining how young infants respond to unexpected events is key to our understanding of their emerging concepts about the world around them. From a predictive processing perspective, it is intriguing to investigate how the infant brain responds to unexpected events (i.e., prediction errors), because they require infants to refine their predictions about the environment. Here, to better understand prediction error processes in the infant brain, we presented 9-month-olds (N = 36) a variety of physical and social events with unexpected versus expected outcomes, while recording their electroencephalogram (EEG). We found a pronounced response in the ongoing 4–5 Hz theta rhythm for the processing of unexpected (in contrast to expected) events, for a prolonged time window (2 s) and across all scalp-recorded electrodes. The condition difference in the theta rhythm was not related to the condition difference in infants’ event-related activity to unexpected (versus expected) events in the negative central (Nc) component (0.4–0.6 s), a component, which is commonly analyzed in infant violation of expectation studies using EEG. These findings constitute critical evidence that the theta rhythm is involved in the processing of prediction errors from very early in human brain development. We discuss how the theta rhythm may support infants’ refinement of basic concepts about the physical and social environment.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921003517Infant cognitionTheta rhythmPredictive processingViolation of expectationElectroencephalography |
| spellingShingle | Moritz Köster Miriam Langeloh Christine Michel Stefanie Hoehl Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm NeuroImage Infant cognition Theta rhythm Predictive processing Violation of expectation Electroencephalography |
| title | Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| title_full | Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| title_fullStr | Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| title_full_unstemmed | Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| title_short | Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| title_sort | young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm |
| topic | Infant cognition Theta rhythm Predictive processing Violation of expectation Electroencephalography |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921003517 |
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