Although the neural correlates of social exclusion have been well-documented, most studies have examined single age groups. No studies have directly compared specific age-related differences in social exclusion across children, adolescents, and adults using event-related oscillatory EEG dynamics. We examined event-related theta EEG power and phase coherence in fair play and social exclusion conditions during the Cyberball task in 166 participants: 42 children (ages 10-12), 56 adolescents (ages 14-17), and 68 adults (ages 18-28). Children and adolescents displayed the greatest theta power to rejection events, whereas adults displayed the greatest theta power to "not my turn" events. Moreover, theta power to rejection positively correlated with self-reported distress across the entire sample, but this relation was strongest among adolescents. These findings suggest that an enhanced neural response to social exclusion is present by preadolescence, but the association between neural and subjective responses is most prominent during adolescence.
Keywords: Social exclusion; EEG; Theta; adolescents; children; adults