Age-related differences in the error-related negativity and error positivity in children and adolescents are moderated by sample and methodological characteristics: A meta-analysis

The error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) are electrophysiological components associated with error processing that are thought to exhibit distinctive developmental trajectories from childhood to adulthood. To investigate the age and age moderation effects on the ERN and the Pe strength during development, we conducted a preregistered three-level meta-analysis synthesizing 120 and 41 effect sizes across 18 group comparison studies and 19 correlational studies, respectively. The meta-analysis included studies with mean age between 3.6 and 28.7 (min-max age range: 3.5 and 49.8) years for age-group comparisons and 6.1 to 18.7 (min-max age range: 4.0-35.7) years for age correlations. Results showed that age was associated with a more negative ERN (SMD = -.433, r = -.230). No statistically significant association between age and the Pe was found (SMD = .059, r = -.091), except for in a group comparison between younger and older adolescents. The age effects were not significantly moderated by whether a Flanker or a Go/No-Go task was used, whereas a probabilistic learning task moderated the age effect on the Pe. Moreover, the Fz and Cz electrode sites yielded stronger negative associations between age and the ERN and the Pe, respectively. The results confirm that the ERN and the Pe show differential development courses and suggest that sample and methodological characteristics influence the age effects, and lay the foundation for investigations of developmental patterns of the ERN and the Pe in relation to psychopathology and early genetic and environmental risk factors.