It should be noted that statistically significant P3 differences between HR and LR subjects were specific to age group, gender and task condition (Fig. 4, panels A1 and A2). In males, the P3 difference between the risk groups was statistically significant solely in the older age group at the central and parietal regions and only in the loss condition (Fig. 4, panel A1). In females, on the other hand, statistically significant P3 differences were observed only in the younger group at the occipital region during the loss condition (Fig. 4, panel A2). This finding suggests that although both male and female HR children/adolescents manifest lower P3 amplitudes, this deficit becomes augmented in males as they age during development while it gets attenuated in females as they age into late adolescence and young adulthood. This gender specific finding is in line with previous findings indicating that low P3 amplitudes in high risk offspring of alcoholics have been reported more often in males (Begleiter et al., 1984; O’Connor et al., 1986; Begleiter et al., 1987; O’Connor et al., 1987; Whipple et al.,
