Tracking changes in spatial frequency sensitivity during natural image processing in school age: an event-related potential study

Adrienn Aranka Rokszin; Dóra Győri-Dani; János Bácsi; László G Nyúl; Gábor Csifcsák

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2017.10.004

Tracking changes in spatial frequency sensitivity during natural image processing in school age: an event-related potential study

J Exp Child Psychol. 2018 Feb:166:664-678. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.10.004. Epub 2017 Nov 9.

Authors

Adrienn Aranka Rokszin¹, Dóra Győri-Dani², János Bácsi³, László G Nyúl⁴, Gábor Csifcsák⁵

Affiliations

¹ Doctoral School of Education, Faculty of Arts, University of Szeged, Petőfi Sándor sgt. 30-34, 6722 Szeged, Hungary.
² Department of Applied Pedagogy and Psychology, Institute of Kindergarten and Lower-Primary Education, Juhász Gyula Faculty of Education, University of Szeged, Hattyas sor 10, 6725 Szeged, Hungary.
³ Juhász Gyula Elementary School of University of Szeged, Boldogasszony sgt. 8, 6725 Szeged, Hungary.
⁴ Department of Image Processing and Computer Graphics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Árpád tér 2, 6720 Szeged, Hungary.
⁵ Department of Cognitive and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Szeged, Egyetem u. 2, 6722 Szeged, Hungary; Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Huginbakken 32, 9037 Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: gaborcsifcsak@yahoo.co.uk.

PMID: 29128609
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.10.004

Abstract

Several studies have shown that behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of processing visual images containing low or high spatial frequency (LSF or HSF) information undergo development after early childhood. However, the maturation of spatial frequency sensitivity during school age has been investigated using abstract stimuli only. The aim of the current study was to assess how LSF and HSF features affect the processing of everyday photographs at the behavioral and electrophysiological levels in children aged 7-15 years and adults. We presented grayscale images containing either animals or vehicles and their luminance-matched modified versions filtered at low or high spatial frequencies. Modulations of classification accuracy, reaction time, and visual event-related potentials (posterior P1 and N1 components) were compared across five developmental groups and three image types. We found disproportionately worse response accuracies for LSF stimuli relative to HSF images in children aged 7 or 8 years, an effect that was accompanied by smaller LSF-evoked P1 amplitudes during this age period. At 7 or 8 years of age, P1 and N1 amplitudes were modulated by HSF and LSF stimuli (P1: HSF > LSF; N1: LSF > HSF), with a gradual shift toward the opposite pattern (P1: LSF > HSF; N1: HSF > LSF) with increasing age. Our results indicate that early cortical processing of both spatial frequency ranges undergo substantial development during school age, with a relative delay of LSF analysis, and underline the utility of our paradigm in tracking the maturation of LSF versus HSF sensitivity in this age group.

Keywords: Event-related potential (ERP); Magnocellular; Parvocellular; School age; Spatial frequencies; Vision.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Age Factors
Child
Child Development / physiology*
Evoked Potentials, Visual / physiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Oculomotor Nuclear Complex / physiology
Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology*
Photic Stimulation / methods*
Reaction Time / physiology
Space Perception / physiology*