Less Is More Activation: The Involvement of the Lateral Prefrontal Regions in a “Less Is More” Task

ABSTRACT

The present study examined whether the lateral prefrontal regions played an important role in a less is more (LIM) task in young children. Preschool children were given a LIM task, and neural activation during the task was assessed using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results revealed that children’s right ventrolateral prefrontal regions were activated during the task. Specifically, stronger prefrontal activation was shown when children chose a small reward compared to when they selected the other option. Results suggest that the lateral prefrontal regions, the core region of cool EF, contributes to performance in the LIM task.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from JSPS (16H05956) to the first author. We thank the parents and children who participated in this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [16H05956].