KidsinAction - Generalization in Distractor-Based Retrieval of S-R Episodes

Previous studies with adults suggest that irrelevant features or distractors can be bound in stimulus-response (S-R) associations, and this binding decreases with decreasing similarity of irrelevant features between prime and probe trials. This implies that the retrieval of S-R associations follows generalization principles, where repeated distractors or irrelevant features prompt S-R retrieval based on their similarity. Furthermore, research comparing adults and children indicates that younger children distribute attention more broadly across goal-relevant and goal-irrelevant stimuli due to immature selective attention. Interestingly, another finding shows that children overgeneralize conditioned fear when conditioned stimuli change in dissimilarity, exhibiting greater fear generalization compared to adults. With this project, we aim to explore differences in cognitive control and attention distribution between adults and children and how developing learning and memory influence cognitive control throughout childhood.