Development and topography of auditory event-related potentials (ERPs): Mismatch and processing negativity in individuals 8-22 years of age

How do event related potentials (ERPs) reflecting auditory processing develop across adolescence? Such development was described for five ERP components in four groups of 11 healthy participants with mean ages of 10, 14, 17, and 21 years. Data from 19 sites during diffuse (passive) and focused (discrimination) attention in a three‐tone oddball were analyzed to see how ERP loci varied with age for tone type attention condition, and for four types of difference waves reflecting nontarget and target comparison. Age interacted with site for most components. P1 loci sensitive to rare tones moved postoriorly and N1 loci lost their right bias in early puberty. The P2 loci did not move anterior to Council adulthood N2 amplitude, sensative to attention condition, developed a frontal focus by 17 years. Right biased P3 loci moved lo the midline with focused attention similarly in all age groups. Difference waves developed in three stages; In 10‐years‐old participants early deflection (