Becoming Consistent: Developmental Reductions in Intraindividual Variability in Reaction Time Are Related to White Matter Integrity

Cognitive development is known to involve improvements in accuracy, capacity, and processing speed. Less is known about the role of performance consistency, and there has been virtually no empirical examination of the neural underpinnings of within-person variability in development. In a sample of 92 healthy children and adolescents aged 8 - 19 years, we aimed to characterize age-related changes in trial-to-trial intraindividual variability (IIV) of reaction time (RT) and to test whether IIV is related to white matter (WM) integrity as indexed by diffusion tensor imaging. IIV was quantified as the SD of correct RTs in a speeded arrow flanker task, and Tract-Based Spatial Statistics was used to test relationships with diffusion characteristics. Large age-related reductions in IIV in both simple congruent trials and more complex incongruent trials were found. Independently of sex, age, and median RT (mRT), lower IIV was associated with higher fractional anisotropy and lower overall diffusivity. Effects were seen for IIV in one or both trial types in the corticospinal tract, the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, the uncinate fasciculus, the forceps minor, and in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. There were no significant associations between mRT and any of the diffusion indices. The findings support the proposition that developmental reductions in IIV reflect maturation of WM connectivity and highlight the importance of considering within-person variability in theories of cognitive development and its neurobiological foundation.