Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task: From 5 to 89 years of age.

The present study focuses on the role of frequency bias and expected value on the learning processes driving performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in individuals between 5 and 89 years of age. As in previous studies, children performed poorly on the IGT, were increasingly influenced by frequency of losses during learning, and constantly changed their decisions. Decision-making strategies changed after childhood from erratic behavior to more consistent strategies that promoted expected value of deck choices.