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Benitez VL, Vales C, Hanania R, Smith LB. Sustained selective attention predicts flexible switching in preschoolers. J Exp Child Psychol 2016; 156:29-42. [PMID: 28024178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Stability and flexibility are fundamental to an intelligent cognitive system. Here, we examined the relationship between stability in selective attention and explicit control of flexible attention. Preschoolers were tested on the Dimension Preference (DP) task, which measures the stability of selective attention to an implicitly primed dimension, and the Dimension Change Card Sort (DCCS) task, which measures flexible attention switching between dimensions. Children who successfully switched on the DCCS task were more likely than those who perseverated to sustain attention to the primed dimension on the DP task across trials. We propose that perseverators have less stable attention and distribute their attention between dimensions, whereas switchers can successfully stabilize attention to individual dimensions and, thus, show more enduring priming effects. Flexible attention may emerge, in part, from implicit processes that stabilize attention even in tasks not requiring switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viridiana L Benitez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Catarina Vales
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Rima Hanania
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Linda B Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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52
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Pauls LJ, Archibald LMD. Executive Functions in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2016; 59:1074-1086. [PMID: 27653611 DOI: 10.1044/2016_jslhr-l-15-0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Mounting evidence demonstrates deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI) beyond the linguistic domain. Using meta-analysis, this study examined differences in children with and without SLI on tasks measuring inhibition and cognitive flexibility. METHOD Databases were searched for articles comparing children (4-14 years) with and without SLI on behavioral measures of inhibition or cognitive flexibility. Weighted average effect size was calculated using multilevel modeling to measure potential group differences. RESULTS The analysis included 46 studies. Of those, 34 included inhibitory control measures and 22 included cognitive flexibility tasks. Children with SLI performed below same-aged peers on both inhibitory control tasks (g = -.56) and cognitive flexibility tasks (g = -.27). Moderator analyses showed no effect of linguistic task demands, participant age, or severity of language impairment on the degree of difference between children with SLI and controls on measures of inhibitory control. CONCLUSION Reliable differences between children with and without SLI were found on inhibition and cognitive flexibility tasks. A moderate group effect was found for inhibition tasks, but there was only a small effect for cognitive flexibility tasks. Results of moderator analyses suggest that these deficits are present throughout development despite task demands or severity of linguistic impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Pauls
- The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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53
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Carroll DJ, Blakey E, FitzGibbon L. Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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54
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Blakey E, Visser I, Carroll DJ. Different Executive Functions Support Different Kinds of Cognitive Flexibility: Evidence From 2-, 3-, and 4-Year-Olds. Child Dev 2016; 87:513-26. [PMID: 26659697 PMCID: PMC4991299 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Improvements in cognitive flexibility during the preschool years have been linked to developments in both working memory and inhibitory control, though the precise contribution of each remains unclear. In the current study, one hundred and twenty 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds completed two rule-switching tasks. In one version, children switched rules in the presence of conflicting information, and in the other version, children switched rules in the presence of distracting information. Switching in the presence of conflict improved rapidly between the ages of 3 and 3.5 years, and was associated with better working memory. Conversely, switching in the presence of distraction developed significantly between the ages of 2 and 3 years, and was associated with better inhibitory control.
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55
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Cantin RH, Gnaedinger EK, Gallaway KC, Hesson-McInnis MS, Hund AM. Executive functioning predicts reading, mathematics, and theory of mind during the elementary years. J Exp Child Psychol 2016; 146:66-78. [PMID: 26914106 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to specify how executive functioning components predict reading, mathematics, and theory of mind performance during the elementary years. A sample of 93 7- to 10-year-old children completed measures of working memory, inhibition, flexibility, reading, mathematics, and theory of mind. Path analysis revealed that all three executive functioning components (working memory, inhibition, and flexibility) mediated age differences in reading comprehension, whereas age predicted mathematics and theory of mind directly. In addition, reading mediated the influence of executive functioning components on mathematics and theory of mind, except that flexibility also predicted mathematics directly. These findings provide important details about the development of executive functioning, reading, mathematics, and theory of mind during the elementary years.
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56
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Guajardo NR, Cartwright KB. The contribution of theory of mind, counterfactual reasoning, and executive function to pre-readers' language comprehension and later reading awareness and comprehension in elementary school. J Exp Child Psychol 2015; 144:27-45. [PMID: 26689129 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2015] [Revised: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The current longitudinal study examined the roles of theory of mind, counterfactual reasoning, and executive function in children's pre-reading skills, reading awareness, and reading comprehension. It is the first to examine this set of variables with preschool and school-aged children. A sample of 31 children completed language comprehension, working memory, cognitive flexibility, first-order false belief, and counterfactual reasoning measures when they were 3 to 5 years of age and completed second-order false belief, cognitive flexibility, reading comprehension, and reading awareness measures at 6 to 9 years of age. Results indicated that false belief understanding contributed to phrase and sentence comprehension and reading awareness, whereas cognitive flexibility and counterfactual reasoning accounted for unique variance in reading comprehension. Implications of the results for the development of reading skill are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole R Guajardo
- Department of Psychology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA 23606, USA.
| | - Kelly B Cartwright
- Department of Psychology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA 23606, USA
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57
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Tillman C, Brocki KC, Sørensen L, Lundervold AJ. A longitudinal examination of the developmental executive function hierarchy in children with externalizing behavior problems. J Atten Disord 2015; 19:496-506. [PMID: 23676626 DOI: 10.1177/1087054713488439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Using a 4-year longitudinal design, we evaluated two hypotheses based on developmental executive function (EF) hierarchy accounts in a sample of children with externalizing problems. METHOD The participants performed EF tasks when they were between 8 and 12 years (M = 9.93), and again approximately 4 years later when they were between 12 and 15 years (M = 13.36). RESULTS Inhibition in middle childhood predicted working memory (WM) 4 years later. Further, deficits in inhibition and sustained attention were more prominent in middle rather than late childhood, whereas poor WM was salient throughout these periods. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypotheses that EFs develop hierarchically and that EF deficits in ADHD are more prominent in actively developing EFs. They also emphasize ADHD as a developmental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lin Sørensen
- University of Bergen, Norway Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Astri J Lundervold
- University of Bergen, Norway Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Uni Research, Bergen, Norway
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58
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Dörrenbächer S, Müller PM, Tröger J, Kray J. Dissociable effects of game elements on motivation and cognition in a task-switching training in middle childhood. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1275. [PMID: 25431564 PMCID: PMC4230167 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although motivational reinforcers are often used to enhance the attractiveness of trainings of cognitive control in children, little is known about how such motivational manipulations of the setting contribute to separate gains in motivation and cognitive-control performance. Here we provide a framework for systematically investigating the impact of a motivational video-game setting on the training motivation, the task performance, and the transfer success in a task-switching training in middle-aged children (8-11 years of age). We manipulated both the type of training (low-demanding/single-task training vs. high-demanding/task-switching training) as well as the motivational setting (low-motivational/without video-game elements vs. high-motivational/with video-game elements) separately from another. The results indicated that the addition of game elements to a training setting enhanced the intrinsic interest in task practice, independently of the cognitive demands placed by the training type. In the task-switching group, the high-motivational training setting led to an additional enhancement of task and switching performance during the training phase right from the outset. These motivation-induced benefits projected onto the switching performance in a switching situation different from the trained one (near-transfer measurement). However, in structurally dissimilar cognitive tasks (far-transfer measurement), the motivational gains only transferred to the response dynamics (speed of processing). Hence, the motivational setting clearly had a positive impact on the training motivation and on the paradigm-specific task-switching abilities; it did not, however, consistently generalize on broad cognitive processes. These findings shed new light on the conflation of motivation and cognition in childhood and may help to refine guidelines for designing adequate training interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Dörrenbächer
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Philipp M Müller
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Johannes Tröger
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Jutta Kray
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
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59
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Dick AS. The development of cognitive flexibility beyond the preschool period: An investigation using a modified Flexible Item Selection Task. J Exp Child Psychol 2014; 125:13-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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60
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Calderon J, Jambaqué I, Bonnet D, Angeard N. Executive Functions Development in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children With Transposition of the Great Arteries: A Longitudinal Study. Dev Neuropsychol 2014; 39:365-84. [DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2014.916709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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61
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Yeniad N, Malda M, Mesman J, van IJzendoorn MH, Emmen RA, Prevoo MJ. Cognitive flexibility children across the transition to school: A longitudinal study. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2014.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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62
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Weeda WD, van der Molen MW, Barceló F, Huizinga M. A diffusion model analysis of developmental changes in children's task switching. J Exp Child Psychol 2014; 126:178-97. [PMID: 24945684 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Revised: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the underlying processes of the development of cognitive flexibility between childhood and young adulthood. We performed a diffusion model analysis on the reaction time and accuracy data from four age groups (7-, 11-, 15-, and 21-year-olds), who performed a task-switching task. We decomposed the data into processes related to the reconfiguration of the cognitive system to a new goal (i.e., task-set reconfiguration) and processes related to the interference of the previous task (i.e., task-set inertia). The developmental patterns of both processes indicated a relatively early maturing mechanism, associated with task-set inertia, and a later maturing mechanism, relating to task-set reconfiguration. This pattern of results was interpreted in terms of the development of the neural mechanisms involved in task switching, that is, the (pre-)supplementary motor area and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter D Weeda
- Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Educational Neuroscience and LEARN! Research Institute, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Francisco Barceló
- Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Mariëtte Huizinga
- Department of Educational Neuroscience and LEARN! Research Institute, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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63
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Colé P, Duncan LG, Blaye A. Cognitive flexibility predicts early reading skills. Front Psychol 2014; 5:565. [PMID: 24966842 PMCID: PMC4052802 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An important aspect of learning to read is efficiency in accessing different kinds of linguistic information (orthographic, phonological, and semantic) about written words. The present study investigates whether, in addition to the integrity of such linguistic skills, early progress in reading may require a degree of cognitive flexibility in order to manage the coordination of this information effectively. Our study will look for evidence of a link between flexibility and both word reading and passage reading comprehension, and examine whether any such link involves domain-general or reading-specific flexibility. As the only previous support for a predictive relationship between flexibility and early reading comes from studies of reading comprehension in the opaque English orthography, another possibility is that this relationship may be largely orthography-dependent, only coming into play when mappings between representations are complex and polyvalent. To investigate these questions, 60 second-graders learning to read the more transparent French orthography were presented with two multiple classification tasks involving reading-specific cognitive flexibility (based on words) and non-specific flexibility (based on pictures). Reading skills were assessed by word reading, pseudo-word decoding, and passage reading comprehension measures. Flexibility was found to contribute significant unique variance to passage reading comprehension even in the less opaque French orthography. More interestingly, the data also show that flexibility is critical in accounting for one of the core components of reading comprehension, namely, the reading of words in isolation. Finally, the results constrain the debate over whether flexibility has to be reading-specific to be critically involved in reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Colé
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR-7290, Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
| | | | - Agnès Blaye
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR-7290, Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
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64
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Mental Set Shifting in Childhood: The Role of Working Memory and Inhibitory Control. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.1871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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65
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Minier L, Blaye A, Maugard A, Fagot J, Glady Y, Thibaut JP. Rôle du contrôle exécutif dans le raisonnement par analogie chez l’enfant et le primate non humain. PSYCHOLOGIE FRANCAISE 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.psfr.2013.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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66
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Chevalier N, Blaye A, Maintenant C. La représentation du but dans le contrôle exécutif chez l’enfant. PSYCHOLOGIE FRANCAISE 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.psfr.2013.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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67
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Fitzgibbon L, Cragg L, Carroll DJ. Primed to be inflexible: the influence of set size on cognitive flexibility during childhood. Front Psychol 2014; 5:101. [PMID: 24575074 PMCID: PMC3921553 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the hallmarks of human cognition is cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt thoughts and behaviors according to changing task demands. Previous research has suggested that the number of different exemplars that must be processed within a task (the set size) can influence an individual's ability to switch flexibly between different tasks. This paper provides evidence that when tasks have a small set size, children's cognitive flexibility is impaired compared to when tasks have a large set size. This paper also offers insights into the mechanism by which this effect comes about. Understanding how set size interacts with task-switching informs the debate regarding the relative contributions of bottom-up priming and top-down control processes in the development of cognitive flexibility. We tested two accounts for the relationship between set size and cognitive flexibility: the (bottom-up) Stimulus-Task Priming account and the (top-down) Rule Representation account. Our findings offered support for the Stimulus-Task Priming account, but not for the Rule Representation account. They suggest that children are susceptible to bottom-up priming caused by stimulus repetition, and that this priming can impair their ability to switch between tasks. These findings make important theoretical and practical contributions to the executive function literature: theoretically, they show that the basic features of a task exert a significant influence on children's ability to flexibly shift between tasks through bottom-up priming effects. Practically, they suggest that children's cognitive flexibility may have been underestimated relative to adults', as paradigms used with children typically have a smaller set size than those used with adults. These findings also have applications in education, where they have the potential to inform teaching in key areas where cognitive flexibility is required, such as mathematics and literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Fitzgibbon
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
| | - Lucy Cragg
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Nottingham, UK
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68
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Garcia C, Dick AS. Stuck in the moment: cognitive inflexibility in preschoolers following an extended time period. Front Psychol 2014; 4:959. [PMID: 24399978 PMCID: PMC3872041 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Preschoolers display surprising inflexibility in problem solving, but seem to approach new challenges with a fresh slate. We provide evidence that while the former is true the latter is not. Here, we examined whether brief exposure to stimuli can influence children's problem solving following several weeks after first exposure to the stimuli. We administered a common executive function task, the Dimensional Change Card Sort, which requires children to sort picture cards by one dimension (e.g., color) and then switch to sort the same cards by a conflicting dimension (e.g., shape). After a week or after a month delay, we administered the second rule again. We found that 70% of preschoolers continued to sort by the initial sorting rule, even after a month delay, and even though they are explicitly told what to do. We discuss implications for theories of executive function development, and for classroom learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Garcia
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University Miami, FL, USA
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69
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Kray J, Gaspard H, Karbach J, Blaye A. Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands. Front Psychol 2013; 4:940. [PMID: 24381566 PMCID: PMC3865368 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8–10 years) and older children (11–13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta Kray
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Hanna Gaspard
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Center for Educational Science and Psychology, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia Karbach
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Educational Psychology, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Agnès Blaye
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
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Senturk N, Yeniceri N, Alp IE, Altan-Atalay A. An Exploratory Study on the Junior Brixton Spatial Rule Attainment Test in 6- to 8-Year-Olds. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/0734282913490917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the Junior Brixton Test (JBT), an executive function (EF) measure for children, in comparison to the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in a sample of 6- to 8-year-olds, all attending the first 2 years of elementary school. Factor analyses indicated two main domains in both measures, namely concept formation and cognitive flexibility. However, within the cognitive flexibility domain of the JBT, perseveration scores reflected qualitatively different perseverative errors. More specifically, perseveration of previous rule and same stimulus scores loaded on the same subcomponent, whereas perseveration of same response loaded on another. The latter score was also negatively correlated both with a measure of general reasoning ability and a memory span task. The authors argue that the JBT is a promising tool to explore individual variations behind seemingly one type of executive function error, namely perseveration.
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71
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Fatzer ST, Roebers CM. Language and Executive Functions: The Effect of Articulatory Suppression on Executive Functioning in Children. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2011.608322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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72
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Loher S, Fatzer ST, Roebers CM. Executive Functions After Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Short-Term Longitudinal Study. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-CHILD 2012; 3:103-14. [DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2012.716752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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73
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Chevalier N, Sheffield TD, Nelson JM, Clark CAC, Wiebe SA, Espy KA. Underpinnings of the costs of flexibility in preschool children: the roles of inhibition and working memory. Dev Neuropsychol 2012; 37:99-118. [PMID: 22339225 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2011.632458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This study addressed the respective contributions of inhibition and working memory to two underlying components of flexibility, goal representation (as assessed by mixing costs) and switch implementation (as assessed by local costs), across the preschool period. By later preschool age (4 years, 6 months and 5 years, 3 months), both inhibition and working-memory performance were associated with mixing costs, but not with local costs, whereas no relation was observed earlier (3 years, 9 months). The relations of inhibition and working memory to flexibility appear to emerge late in the preschool period and are mainly driven by goal representation.
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74
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Chevalier N, Wiebe SA, Huber KL, Espy KA. Switch detection in preschoolers' cognitive flexibility. J Exp Child Psychol 2011; 109:353-70. [PMID: 21353678 PMCID: PMC3065531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2011.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Revised: 01/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The current study addressed the role of switch detection in cognitive flexibility by testing the effect of transition cues (i.e., cues that directly signal the need to switch or maintain a given task goal) in a cued set-shifting paradigm at 5 years of age. Children performed better, especially on switch trials, when transition cues were combined with traditional task cues (i.e., cues that directly signal the relevant task on a given trial) relative to conditions without transition cues. This effect was not influenced by explicit knowledge of transition cues or transition cue transparency, suggesting that transition cues did not need to be semantically processed to be beneficial. These findings reveal that young children's difficulties in set-shifting situations stem partially from failures to monitor for the need to switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Chevalier
- Office of Research and Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
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