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Macrae E, Milosavljevic B, Katus L, Mason L, Amadó MP, Rozhko M, de Haan M, Elwell CE, Moore SE, Lloyd-Fox S. Cognitive control in infancy: Attentional predictors using a tablet-based measure. INFANCY 2024; 29:631-655. [PMID: 38768285 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive control is a predictor of later-life outcomes and may underpin higher order executive processes. The present study examines the development of early cognitive control during the first 24-month. We evaluated a tablet-based assessment of cognitive control among infants aged 18- and 24-month. We also examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between attentional disengagement, general cognitive skills and cognitive control. Participants (N = 60, 30 female) completed the tablet-task at 18- and 24-month of age. Attentional disengagement and general cognitive development were assessed at 5-, 8-, 12-, 18- and 24-month using an eye-tracking measure and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), respectively. The cognitive control task demonstrated good internal consistency, sensitivity to age-related change in performance and stable individual differences. No associations were found between infant cognitive control and MSEL scores longitudinally or concurrently. The eye-tracking task revealed that slower attentional disengagement at 8-month, but faster disengagement at 18-month, predicted higher cognitive control scores at 24-month. This task may represent a useful tool for measuring emergent cognitive control. The multifaceted relationship between attention and infant cognitive control suggests that the rapid development of the attentional system in infancy results in distinct attentional skills, at different ages, being relevant for cognitive control development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Macrae
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bosiljka Milosavljevic
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Laura Katus
- Institute for Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, London, UK
| | - Luke Mason
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Maria Rozhko
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michelle de Haan
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust London, London, UK
| | - Clare E Elwell
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sophie E Moore
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keneba, The Gambia
| | - Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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2
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Viktorsson C, Portugal AM, Taylor MJ, Ronald A, Falck-Ytter T. Sustained looking at faces at 5 months of age is associated with socio-communicative skills in the second year of life. INFANCY 2024; 29:459-478. [PMID: 38358338 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Efficiently processing information from faces in infancy is foundational for nonverbal communication. We studied individual differences in 5-month-old infants' (N = 517) sustained attention to faces and preference for emotional faces. We assessed the contribution of genetic and environmental influences to individual differences in these gaze behaviors, and the association between these traits and other concurrent and later phenotypes. We found an association between the mean duration of looking at a face (before looking away from it) at 5 months and socio-communicative abilities at 14 months (β = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.08; 0.26, p < 0.001). Sustained attention to faces predicted socio-communicative abilities over and above variance captured by mean fixation duration. We also found a statistically significant but weak tendency to prefer looking at smiling faces (relative to neutral faces), but no indication that variability in this behavior was explained by genetic effects. Moderate heritability was found for sustained attention to faces (A = 0.23, CI: 0.06; 0.38), while shared environmental influences were non-significant for both phenotypes. These findings suggest that sustained looking at individual faces before looking away is a developmentally significant 'social attention' phenotype in infancy, characterized by moderate heritability and a specific relation to later socio-communicative abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Viktorsson
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ana Maria Portugal
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark J Taylor
- Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Angelica Ronald
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden
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3
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Mendez AH, Yu C, Smith LB. Controlling the input: How one-year-old infants sustain visual attention. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13445. [PMID: 37665124 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, the exogenous control of gaze by external saliencies and the endogenous control of gaze by knowledge and context have been viewed as competing systems, with late infancy seen as a period of strengthening top-down control over the vagaries of the input. Here we found that one-year-old infants control sustained attention through head movements that increase the visibility of the attended object. Freely moving one-year-old infants (n = 45) wore head-mounted eye trackers and head motion sensors while exploring sets of toys of the same physical size. The visual size of the objects, a well-documented salience, varied naturally with the infant's moment-to-moment posture and head movements. Sustained attention to an object was characterized by the tight control of head movements that created and then stabilized a visual size advantage for the attended object for sustained attention. The findings show collaboration between exogenous and endogenous attentional systems and suggest new hypotheses about the development of sustained visual attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres H Mendez
- CICEA, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Institut de Neurociencies, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chen Yu
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Linda B Smith
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana Unversity, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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4
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Musso MF, Moyano S, Rico-Picó J, Conejero Á, Ballesteros-Duperón MÁ, Cascallar EC, Rueda MR. Predicting Effortful Control at 3 Years of Age from Measures of Attention and Home Environment in Infancy: A Machine Learning Approach. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:982. [PMID: 37371215 DOI: 10.3390/children10060982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Effortful control (EC) is a dimension of temperament that encompass individual differences in self-regulation and the control of reactivity. Much research suggests that EC has a strong foundation on the development of executive attention, but increasing evidence also shows a significant contribution of the rearing environment to individual differences in EC. The aim of the current study was to predict the development of EC at 36 months of age from early attentional and environmental measures taken in infancy using a machine learning approach. A sample of 78 infants participated in a longitudinal study running three waves of data collection at 6, 9, and 36 months of age. Attentional tasks were administered at 6 months of age, with two additional measures (i.e., one attentional measure and another self-restraint measure) being collected at 9 months of age. Parents reported household environment variables during wave 1, and their child's EC at 36 months. A machine-learning algorithm was implemented to identify children with low EC scores at 36 months of age. An "attention only" model showed greater predictive sensitivity than the "environmental only" model. However, a model including both attentional and environmental variables was able to classify the groups (Low-EC vs. Average-to-High EC) with 100% accuracy. Sensitivity analyses indicate that socio-economic variables together with attention control processes at 6 months, and self-restraint capacity at 9 months, are the most important predictors of EC. Results suggest a foundational role of executive attention processes in the development of EC in complex interactions with household environments and provide a new tool to identify early markers of socio-emotional regulation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariel F Musso
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Mathematical and Experimental Psychology (CIIPME), National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1040, Argentina
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1073, Argentina
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Sebastián Moyano
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Josué Rico-Picó
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Ángela Conejero
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Department of Educational and Developmental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - M Ángeles Ballesteros-Duperón
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Eduardo C Cascallar
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - M Rosario Rueda
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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Moyano S, Rico-Picó J, Conejero Á, Hoyo Á, Ballesteros-Duperón MDLÁ, Rueda MR. Influence of the environment on the early development of attentional control. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 71:101842. [PMID: 37187034 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The control of visual attention is key to learning and has a foundational role in the development of self-regulated behavior. Basic attention control skills emerge early in life and show a protracted development along childhood. Prior research suggests that attentional development is influenced by environmental factors in early and late childhood. Although, much less information is available about the impact of the early environment on emerging endogenous attention skills during infancy. In the current study we aimed to test the impact of parental socioeconomic status (SES) and home environment (chaos) in the emerging control of orienting in a sample of typically-developing infants. A group of 142 (73 female) 6-month-old infants were longitudinally tested at 6, 9 (n = 122; 60 female) and 16-18 (n = 91; 50 female) months of age using the gap-overlap paradigm. Median saccade latency (mdSL) and disengagement failure (DF) were computed as dependent variables for both overlap and gap conditions. Also, composite scores for a Disengagement Cost Index (DCI) and Disengagement Failure Index (DFI) were computed considering mdSL and DF of each condition, respectively. Families reported SES and chaos in the first and last follow-up sessions. Using Linear Mixed Models with Maximum Likelihood estimation (ML) we found a longitudinal decrease in mdSL in the gap but not in the overlap condition, while DF decreased with age independently of the experimental condition. Concerning early environmental factors, an SES index, parental occupation and chaos at 6 months were found to show a negative correlation with DFI at 16-18 months, although in the former case it was only marginally significant. Hierarchical regression models implementing ML showed that both SES and chaos at 6 months significantly predicted a lower DFI at 16-18 months. Results show a longitudinal progression of endogenous orienting between infancy and toddlerhood. With age, an increased endogenous control of orienting is displayed in contexts where visual disengagement is facilitated. Visual orienting involving attention disengagement in contexts of visual competition do not show changes with age. Moreover, these attentional mechanisms of endogenous control seem to be modulated by early experiences of the individual with the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Moyano
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Josué Rico-Picó
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ángela Conejero
- Department of Developmental & Educational Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ángela Hoyo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - M Rosario Rueda
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Gharib A, Thompson BL. Analysis and novel methods for capture of normative eye-tracking data in 2.5-month old infants. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278423. [PMID: 36490239 PMCID: PMC9733894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of attention systems is essential for both cognitive and social behavior maturation. Visual behavior has been used to assess development of these attention systems. Yet, given its importance, there is a notable lack of literature detailing successful methods and procedures for using eye-tracking in early infancy to assess oculomotor and attention dynamics. Here we show that eye-tracking technology can be used to automatically record and assess visual behavior in infants as young as 2.5 months, and present normative data describing fixation and saccade behavior at this age. Features of oculomotor dynamics were analyzed from 2.5-month old infants who viewed videos depicting live action, cartoons, geometric shapes, social and non-social scenes. Of the 54 infants enrolled, 50 infants successfully completed the eye-tracking task and high-quality data was collected for 32 of those infants. We demonstrate that modifications specifically tailored for the infant population allowed for consistent tracking of pupil and corneal reflection and minimal data loss. Additionally, we found consistent fixation and saccade behaviors across the entire six-minute duration of the videos, indicating that this is a feasible task for 2.5-month old infants. Moreover, normative oculomotor metrics for a free-viewing task in 2.5-month old infants are documented for the first time as a result of this high-quality data collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma Gharib
- Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, The Saban Research Institute and Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Barbara L. Thompson
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Elliott L, Bachman HJ, Carvalho Pereira J, Coulanges L, Duong S, Montue T, Miller P, Libertus M, Votruba-Drzal E. Self-regulation in toddlers and the emergence of pre-academic disparities. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 69:101779. [PMID: 36274356 PMCID: PMC10184574 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research has examined how children's self-regulation during early and middle childhood mediates SES disparities in academic achievement. Evidence suggests that these self-regulation skills begin developing even earlier, during the toddler years, but more work is needed examining how different measures of self-regulation relate to key constructs such as socioeconomic status (SES) and toddlers' pre-academic skills. In this online study, we examine multiple approaches to measuring self-regulation using confirmatory factor analyses and assess the extent to which self-regulatory skills help explain SES differences in early math and language skills among a sample of 158 two- and three-year-old children. Self-regulation was assessed through a battery of parent- and examiner-ratings. Children's counting, cardinality, and vocabulary skills were measured online through direct assessments and parent surveys. Two self-regulation factors emerged representing parent-reported and observational measures, and only observational measures of self-regulation mediated associations between SES and children's math and language skills. Parent-reported self-regulation was not uniquely related to SES or children's pre-academic skills, underscoring the need for careful consideration of how self-regulation is measured among toddlers when examining its associations with pre-academic skills.
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8
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White H, Heck A, Jubran R, Chroust A, Bhatt RS. Average fixation duration in infancy: Stability and predictive utility. INFANCY 2022; 27:866-886. [PMID: 35624554 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined the stability, consistency, and predictive utility of average fixation durations in infancy. In Study 1, infants' (N = 80) average fixation duration when viewing social stimuli was found to show strong relative stability from 3.5 to 9 months of age. In Study 2, strong within-infant consistency was found in 3.5-month-old infants' (N = 73) average fixation durations to social and nonsocial stimuli. In Study 3, 3.5- to 9-month-old infants' (N = 89) average fixation duration was found to systematically vary with parent-reported symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at 4-6 years of age. These results suggest that average fixation duration serves as a stable and systematic measure of individual differences in cognitive development beginning early in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah White
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alison Heck
- Department of Psychology, Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, USA
| | - Rachel Jubran
- Department of Behavioral & Social Sciences, University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Alabama, USA
| | - Alyson Chroust
- College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ramesh S Bhatt
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
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The role of infant attention and parental sensitivity in infant cognitive development in the Netherlands and China. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 215:105324. [PMID: 34896764 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Infant attention and parental sensitivity are important predictors of later child executive function (EF). However, most studies have investigated infant and parent factors in relation to child EF separately and included only mothers from Western samples. The current study examined whether both infant attention at 4 months and parental sensitivity at 4 and 14 months were related to infant EF (i.e., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) at 14 months among 124 Dutch and 63 Chinese first-time mothers and fathers and their infants. Findings revealed that parental sensitivity at 4 months was not correlated with infant EF abilities at 14 months. However, infant attention at 4 months was significantly related to 14-month working memory, but not to inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Maternal sensitivity at 14 months was significantly related to 14-month inhibition, but not to working memory and cognitive flexibility). No country differences were found in the relation among 4-month infant attention, parental sensitivity, and EF outcomes. Results show that both infant and parent factors are associated with early EF development and that these correlates of early EF skills may be similar in Western and non-Western samples.
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Hendry A, Johnson MH, Holmboe K. Early Development of Visual Attention: Change, Stability, and Longitudinal Associations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-085114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Visual attention is a basic mechanism of information gathering and environment selection and consequently plays a fundamental role in influencing developmental trajectories. Here, we highlight evidence for predictive associations from early visual attention to emotion regulation, executive function, language and broader cognitive ability, mathematics and literacy skills, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Development of visual attention is also multifaceted and nonlinear. In daily life, core functions such as orienting, selective filtering, and processing of visual inputs are intertwined and influenced by many other cognitive components. Furthermore, the demands of an attention task vary according to the experience, motivation, and cognitive and physical constraints of participants, while the mechanisms underlying performance may change with development. Thus, markers of attention may need to be interpreted differently across development and between populations. We summarize research that has combined multiple measurements and techniques to further our understanding of visual attention development and highlight possibilities for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom;,
| | - Mark H. Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Karla Holmboe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom;,
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Abstract
In the last decade, advances in neuroimaging technologies have given rise to a large number of research studies that investigate the neural underpinnings of executive function (EF). EF has long been associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and involves both a unified, general element, as well as the distinct, separable elements of working memory, inhibitory control and set shifting. We will highlight the value of utilising advances in neuroimaging techniques to uncover answers to some of the most pressing questions in the field of early EF development. First, this review will explore the development and neural substrates of each element of EF. Second, the structural, anatomical and biochemical changes that occur in the PFC during infancy and throughout childhood will be examined, in order to address the importance of these changes for the development of EF. Third, the importance of connectivity between regions of the PFC and other brain areas in EF development is reviewed. Finally, throughout this review more recent developments in neuroimaging techniques will be addressed, alongside the implications for further elucidating the neural substrates of early EF development in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Fiske
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Karla Holmboe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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