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Wu T, Weiland C, McCormick M, Hsueh J, Snow C, Sachs J. One Score to Rule Them All? Comparing the Predictive and Concurrent Validity of 30 Hearts and Flowers Scoring Approaches. Assessment 2024:10731911241229566. [PMID: 38361250 DOI: 10.1177/10731911241229566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The Hearts and Flowers (H&F) task is a computerized executive functioning (EF) assessment that has been used to measure EF from early childhood to adulthood. It provides data on accuracy and reaction time (RT) across three different task blocks (hearts, flowers, and mixed). However, there is a lack of consensus in the field on how to score the task that makes it difficult to interpret findings across studies. The current study, which includes a demographically diverse population of kindergarteners from Boston Public Schools (N = 946), compares the predictive and concurrent validity of 30 ways of scoring H&F, each with a different combination of accuracy, RT, and task block(s). Our exploratory results provide evidence supporting the use of a two-vector average score based on Zelazo et al.'s approach of adding accuracy and RT scores together only after individuals pass a certain accuracy threshold. Findings have implications for scoring future tablet-based developmental assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Catherine Snow
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
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2
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Gilmour AM, MacDonald MJ, Cox A, Fairclough SJ, Tyler R. Investigating Ecological Momentary Assessed Physical Activity and Core Executive Functions in 18- to 24-Year-Old Undergraduate Students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6944. [PMID: 37887683 PMCID: PMC10606779 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20206944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Although evidence for young children (<10) and older adults (>64) highlights an association between physical activity (PA) and executive functions (EFs), there is a paucity of research on adolescents aged 18-24 years. Thus, this study examined the associations between PA and EF and the difference in EF between individuals who achieve the moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) guidelines and those who do not. Forty-seven participants engaged in a Stroop task, a reverse Corsi-block test, and a task-switching test, to measure inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, respectively. An ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to determine the participant's MVPA and step count, through the "Pathverse" app. Multiple regressions were run to predict the task-switch cost, the Stroop effect, and the backward Corsi span from time spent in MVPA. A two-way ANCOVA examined the effects of achieving the MVPA guidelines on EF. MVPA and step count did not significantly predict EF. There were no significant differences in EF between participants achieving the MVPA guidelines and those that did not. Time spent in MVPA and step count were not significantly associated with working memory, cognitive flexibility, or inhibition in adolescents. Further research is warranted to understand other factors that may significantly affect EF, within and outside an individual's control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayva-Mae Gilmour
- Movement Behaviours, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK; (M.J.M.); (S.J.F.)
| | - Mhairi J. MacDonald
- Movement Behaviours, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK; (M.J.M.); (S.J.F.)
| | - Ashley Cox
- Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK;
| | - Stuart J. Fairclough
- Movement Behaviours, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK; (M.J.M.); (S.J.F.)
| | - Richard Tyler
- Movement Behaviours, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK; (M.J.M.); (S.J.F.)
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3
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Beneventi H, Løhaugen GC, Andersen GL, Sundberg C, Østgård HF, Bakkan E, Walther G, Vik T, Skranes J. Working Memory Training in Norwegian Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) Show Minimal Evidence of Near and No Far Transfer Effects. Dev Neurorehabil 2023; 26:364-370. [PMID: 37740724 DOI: 10.1080/17518423.2023.2259985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
In children with cerebral palsy (CP), learning disabilities are well documented, and impairments in executive functions, such as attention, inhibition, shifting and working memory, represent significant burdens on patients, their families and the society. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Cogmed RM working memory training could improve working memory in children with CP and investigate whether increased working memory capacity would generalize to other cognitive functions. Twenty-eight children completed the training and the results were compared to a waitlist control group (n = 32). The results yielded three main findings. First, children with CP improved with practice on trained working memory tasks. Second, the intervention group showed minimal near transfer effects to non-trained working memory tasks. Third, no effects on cognitive and behavioral far transfer measures were found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harald Beneventi
- Department of Paediatric Habilitation, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Gro Cc Løhaugen
- Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Guro L Andersen
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Cerebral Palsy Register of Norway, Habilitation Center, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway
| | - Cato Sundberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
| | - Heidi Furre Østgård
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ellen Bakkan
- Department of Paediatric Habilitation, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Geir Walther
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway
| | - Torstein Vik
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jon Skranes
- Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
- Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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4
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Khanganba SP, Najar SA. In-Vehicle Interaction Systems, Eye Movements, and Safety. Percept Mot Skills 2023; 130:127-148. [PMID: 36214664 DOI: 10.1177/00315125221132086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In-vehicle interactive systems are widely used in modern vehicles. While these systems serve various purposes, they are also potential distracters for drivers. In this study we investigated the effect of in-vehicle spatial distractions on driving errors and driver gaze behavior by developing an experimental paradigm named, "Direction Following in Distracted Driving - Spatial: Simultaneous and Sequential (D3-SSS)." Twenty-seven drivers voluntarily participated and were required to drive an instrumented vehicle on a two-lane test-track, following directions shown on direction signboards. While driving, drivers were required to respond to in-vehicle spatial distracting stimuli presented to them through a monitor attached to the dashboard. The drivers were randomly assigned to in-vehicle spatial-simultaneous and spatial-sequential distraction conditions. Our results demonstrated that, in comparison with spatial-sequential distractions, there were shorter eye fixation durations and fewer eye fixation counts on areas of interest (AOIs) during spatial-simultaneous distractions. We also found that drivers committed more driving errors during in-vehicle spatial-simultaneous distractions than when these were not occurring. In conclusion, drivers committed more slips than lapses, and spatial-simultaneous distraction was more detrimental to driving performance than was spatial-sequential distraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjram Premjit Khanganba
- Human Factors & Applied Cognition Lab, 226957Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, India.,Discipline of Psychology, 226957Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, India.,Center for Electric Vehicles and Intelligent Transport Systems, 226957Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, India.,Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, 226957Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, India.,Centre of Futuristic Defense and Space Technologies, 226957Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, India
| | - Sajad Ahmad Najar
- Department of Psychology, 231505Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India
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5
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Davidson C, Shing YL, McKay C, Rafetseder E, Wijeakumar S. The first year in formal schooling improves working memory and academic abilities. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101205. [PMID: 36724671 PMCID: PMC9898018 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurocognition and academic abilities during the period of 4 and 7 years of age are impacted by both the transition from kindergarten to primary school and age-related developmental processes. Here, we used a school cut-off design to tease apart the impact of formal schooling from age, on working memory (WM) function, vocabulary, and numeracy scores. We compared two groups of children with similar age, across two years: first-graders (FG), who were enrolled into primary school the year that they became eligible and kindergarteners (KG), who were deferred school entry until the following year. All children completed a change detection task while brain activation was recorded using portable functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a vocabulary assessment, and a numeracy screener. Our results revealed that FG children showed greater improvement in WM performance and greater engagement of a left-lateralized fronto-parietal network compared to KG children. Further, they also showed higher gains in vocabulary and non-symbolic numeracy scores. This improvement in vocabulary and non-symbolic numeracy scores following a year in primary school was predicted by WM function. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature examining neurocognitive and academic benefits conferred to children following exposure to formal schooling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Davidson
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Yee Lee Shing
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany,Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Courtney McKay
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | - Eva Rafetseder
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | - Sobanawartiny Wijeakumar
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK,Correspondence to: School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
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6
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Sato J, Safar K, Vogan VM, Taylor MJ. Functional connectivity changes during working memory in autism spectrum disorder: A two-year longitudinal MEG study. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103364. [PMID: 36878149 PMCID: PMC9999263 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Working memory impairments have been reported in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated with functional outcomes and social difficulties. However, little is known about the developmental trajectory of working memory in youth with ASD. The current magnetoencephalography (MEG) study is the first to examine the longitudinal development over two years of working memory networks in youth with ASD. We analysed MEG data from 32 children and adolescents with and without ASD (64 datasets; 7-14 years), all tested twice at a two-year interval, during a visual n-back task, with two loads (1- and 2-back). We performed a whole-brain functional connectivity analysis to examine the networks during the successful recognition of visual stimuli. We demonstrate that youth with ASD show decreased connectivity in the theta frequency (4-7 Hz) in the higher memory load (2-back) condition compared to typically developing (TD) controls. This hypo-connected theta network was anchored in primary visual areas with connections to frontal, parietal and limbic regions. These network differences were found despite similar task performance between ASD and TD groups. Within the TD group, we found an increase in alpha (8-14 Hz) connectivity at Time 2 compared to Time 1 in both the 1- and 2-back conditions. These findings demonstrate the continued development of working memory mechanisms over middle childhood, which were not apparent in youth with ASD. Together, our findings support a network-based approach to understanding atypical neural functioning in ASD and the developmental trajectories of working memory processes over middle childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Kristina Safar
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vanessa M Vogan
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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7
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Draheim C, Pak R, Draheim AA, Engle RW. The role of attention control in complex real-world tasks. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1143-1197. [PMID: 35167106 PMCID: PMC8853083 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02052-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Working memory capacity is an important psychological construct, and many real-world phenomena are strongly associated with individual differences in working memory functioning. Although working memory and attention are intertwined, several studies have recently shown that individual differences in the general ability to control attention is more strongly predictive of human behavior than working memory capacity. In this review, we argue that researchers would therefore generally be better suited to studying the role of attention control rather than memory-based abilities in explaining real-world behavior and performance in humans. The review begins with a discussion of relevant literature on the nature and measurement of both working memory capacity and attention control, including recent developments in the study of individual differences of attention control. We then selectively review existing literature on the role of both working memory and attention in various applied settings and explain, in each case, why a switch in emphasis to attention control is warranted. Topics covered include psychological testing, cognitive training, education, sports, police decision-making, human factors, and disorders within clinical psychology. The review concludes with general recommendations and best practices for researchers interested in conducting studies of individual differences in attention control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA.
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Richard Pak
- Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Amanda A Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA
| | - Randall W Engle
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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8
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Fyndanis V, Masoura E, Malefaki S, Chatziadamou E, Dosi I, Caplan D. The Role of Working Memory, Short-Term Memory, Speed of Processing, Education, and Locality in Verb-Related Morphosyntactic Production: Evidence From Greek. Front Psychol 2022; 13:851440. [PMID: 35911026 PMCID: PMC9329933 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.851440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between verb-related morphosyntactic production (VRMP) and locality (i.e., critical cue being adjacent to the target or not), verbal Working Memory (vWM), nonverbal/visuospatial WM (nvWM), verbal short-term memory (vSTM), nonverbal/visuospatial STM (nvSTM), speed of processing, and education. Eighty healthy middle-aged and older Greek-speaking participants were administered a sentence completion task tapping into production of subject–verb Agreement, Time Reference/Tense, and grammatical Aspect in local and nonlocal configurations, and cognitive tasks tapping into vSTM, nvSTM, vWM, nvWM, and speed of processing. Aspect elicited worse performance than Time Reference and Agreement, and Time Reference elicited worse performance than Agreement. There were main effects of vSTM, vWM, education, and locality: the greater the participants’ vSTM/vWM capacity, and the higher their educational level, the better their VRMP; nonlocal configurations elicited worse performance on VRMP than local configurations. Moreover, vWM affected Aspect and Time Reference/Tense more than Agreement, and education affected VRMP more in local than in nonlocal configurations. Lastly, locality affected Agreement and Aspect (with nonlocal configurations eliciting more agreement and aspect errors than local configurations) but not Time Reference. That vSTM/vWM (but not nvSTM/nvWM) were found to subserve VRMP suggests that VRMP is predominantly supported by domain-specific, not by domain-general, memory resources. The main effects of vWM and vSTM suggest that both the processing and storage components of WM are relevant to VRMP. That vWM (but not vSTM) interacts with production of Aspect, Time Reference, and Agreement suggests that Aspect and Time Reference are computationally more demanding than Agreement. These findings are consistent with earlier findings that, in individuals with aphasia, vWM interacts with production of Aspect, Time Reference, and Agreement. The differential effect of education on VRMP in local vs. nonlocal configurations could be accounted for by assuming that education is a proxy for an assumed procedural memory system that is sensitive to frequency patterns in language and better supports VRMP in more frequent than in less frequent configurations. In the same vein, the interaction between locality and the three morphosyntactic categories might reflect the statistical distribution of local vs. nonlocal Aspect, Agreement, and Time Reference/Tense in Greek.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valantis Fyndanis
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
- Center for Multilingualism in Society Across the Lifespan (MultiLing), Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- *Correspondence: Valantis Fyndanis,
| | - Elvira Masoura
- Department of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sonia Malefaki
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Efpraxia Chatziadamou
- Department of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ifigeneia Dosi
- Department of Greek Philology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
| | - David Caplan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Di Fabio C, Lindell AK, Callinan S. Contextual cues prompt greater improvements in alcohol consumption recall for people with higher working memory capacities. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00049530.2022.2089052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Di Fabio
- Department of Psychology and Counselling, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Annukka K. Lindell
- Department of Psychology and Counselling, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sarah Callinan
- Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
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10
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Morris BM, Lonigan CJ. What components of working memory are associated with children's reading skills? LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022; 95:102114. [PMID: 35782791 PMCID: PMC9249004 DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is a potentially important factor related to the development of and performance in reading skills. This study examined the differential relations between two components of the WM system (i.e., storage, processing) and reading. Latent variables were created based on data from 1900 children (1146 children in preschool-second grade and 754 children in third-fifth grade) recruited for a larger study concerning the development of reading comprehension. Results indicated that a general-specific model of WM was a good fit to the data and effectively isolated the variance unique to WM-processing from that of WM-storage. Using the general-specific model, relations between the components of WM and reading (e.g., reading comprehension, decoding) and reading-related (e.g., oral language, phonological awareness, nonverbal IQ) outcomes were examined. In contrast with previous studies that have suggested WM is consistently associated with reading comprehension, our findings indicate that both aspects of WM (i.e., storage, processing) operate primarily indirectly through foundational reading-related skills. In sum, the WM system is not specifically associated with reading comprehension as most of the effects of WM-processing are indirect via the effects on foundational reading-related skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany M. Morris
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Lonigan
- Department of Psychology and Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University, United States of America
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11
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De Vita C, Costa HM, Tomasetto C, Passolunghi MC. The contributions of working memory domains and processes to early mathematical knowledge between preschool and first grade. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 86:497-511. [PMID: 33677704 PMCID: PMC8885495 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Working Memory (WM) plays a crucial role in supporting children's mathematical learning. However, there is no consensus on the relative contributions of different WM domains (i.e., verbal, visuo-spatial, and numerical-verbal) and processes (i.e., low-control and high-control) to mathematical performance, specifically before and after the onset of formal education. This cross-sectional study examined the relations between WM domains and processes and early mathematical knowledge, comparing a group of children in the second year of preschool (N = 66) to a group of first graders (N = 110). Results of multigroup path analysis showed that whereas visuo-spatial low-control WM significantly predicted early mathematical knowledge only among preschoolers, verbal low-control WM was a significant predictor only among first graders. Instead, the contribution of visuo-spatial high-control WM emerged as significant for both age groups, as well as that of numerical-verbal WM, although the latter to a greater extent among preschoolers. These findings provide new insights into the WM domains and processes most involved in early mathematical knowledge at different developmental stages, with potential implications for the implementation of age-appropriate training interventions targeting specific WM skills before and after the onset of formal education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara De Vita
- Department of Life Sciences, Gaetano Kanizsa Psychology Unit, University of Trieste, via Weiss 21, 34128, Trieste, Italy
| | - Hiwet Mariam Costa
- Department of Life Sciences, Gaetano Kanizsa Psychology Unit, University of Trieste, via Weiss 21, 34128, Trieste, Italy
| | - Carlo Tomasetto
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Passolunghi
- Department of Life Sciences, Gaetano Kanizsa Psychology Unit, University of Trieste, via Weiss 21, 34128, Trieste, Italy.
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12
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Poon K, Ho MSH, Wang LC. Examining Distinctive Working Memory Profiles in Chinese Children With Predominantly Inattentive Subtype of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Reading Difficulties. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718112. [PMID: 34759864 PMCID: PMC8573323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although evidence has shown that both RD and ADHD-I children suffer from working memory problems, inconsistencies in impaired modalities have been reported. This study aimed to (1) compare the three WM domains (i.e., verbal WM, visual-spatial WM, and behavioral WM) among pure ADHD-I, pure RD, comorbid ADHD-I+RD, and typical control groups and (2) examine the impact of comorbidity on the three WM domains. A Chinese sample of participants from Hong Kong included 29 children in the ADHD-I group, 78 children in the RD group, 31 children in the comorbid group (ADHD-I+RD), and 64 children in the TD control group. All participants completed the assessments individually. The findings showed that the children with ADHD-I and/or RD exhibited diverse cognitive profiles. In particular, RD was associated with verbal and visual-spatial working memory deficits, while ADHD-I was associated with behavioral working memory deficits. Interestingly, the comorbid condition demonstrated additive deficits of the two disorders but with greater deficits in behavioral working memory. These findings support the cognitive subtype hypothesis and provide a clearer picture of the distinctive working memory profiles of different groups, allowing for the development of intervention programs in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kean Poon
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Mimi S H Ho
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Li-Chih Wang
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Special Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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13
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Inter-group and Inter-individual variability in working memory from childhood to emerging adulthood. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbeha.2021.100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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14
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Moffett L, Weissman A, Weiland C, McCormick M, Hsueh J, Snow C, Sachs J. Unpacking pre-K classroom organization: Types, variation, and links to school readiness gains. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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15
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Alfonso SV, Lonigan CJ. Executive Function, Language Dominance and Literacy Skills in Spanish-speaking Language-minority Children: A Longitudinal Study. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY 2021; 57:228-238. [PMID: 34629727 PMCID: PMC8496874 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In the U.S., children whose home language is Spanish are at increased risk for the development of reading difficulties. Studies have reported a link between executive function (EF) and reading; few studies have examined this linkage in Spanish-speaking language-minority (LM) children. This longitudinal study examined the association between preschool EF and kindergarten reading-related skills in 241 Spanish-speaking LM children (M-age in preschool = 54.23 months, SD = 6.17). In preschool, children completed measures of inhibitory control (IC) and working memory (WM) in their dominant language, and early literacy skills in Spanish and English. In the fall of their kindergarten year, children completed code- and language-related literacy measures in both languages. A two-factor model (IC and WM) accounted for children's preschool EF. Most zero-order correlations between EF factors and kindergarten outcomes in Spanish (rs = .03-.40) and English (rs = .05-.35) were statistically significant. For English-language outcomes, WM was more strongly associated with code-related skills and IC with language-related skills; for Spanish-language outcomes, WM was more strongly related to both code- and language- related skills than IC. There was little difference in the associations between EF and reading outcomes based on the language in which EF was measured (i.e., the child's dominant language). When controlling for early literacy skills in the same language as the kindergarten outcomes, EF contributed significant unique variance to kindergarten skills in English but not in Spanish. For Spanish language outcomes, early literacy skills appear to mediate the role of preschool EF. The results suggest that children's development in cognitive domains, such as EF, may have an important role in the acquisition of core early reading skills for Spanish-speaking LM children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Alfonso
- Florida State University, Department of Psychology, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4301, U.S.A
| | - Christopher J Lonigan
- Florida State University, Department of Psychology, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4301, U.S.A
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16
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Macoun SJ, Schneider I, Bedir B, Sheehan J, Sung A. Pilot Study of an Attention and Executive Function Cognitive Intervention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:2600-2610. [PMID: 33029666 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04723-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a game-based cognitive training program (Caribbean Quest; CQ) for improving attention and executive function (EF) in school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). CQ is a 'serious game' that uses a hybrid process-specific/compensatory approach to remediate attention and EF abilities through repetitive, hierarchically graded exercises delivered in an adaptive format. Game-play is accompanied by instruction in metacognitive strategies delivered by an adult trainer. Twenty children diagnosed with ASD (ages 6-12 years) completed 12 h of intervention in schools over 8-10 weeks that was facilitated by a trained Research Assistant. Pre-post testing indicated near transfer gains for visual working memory and selective attention and far transfer effects for math fluency. Exit interviews with parents and school staff indicated anecdotal gains in attention, EF, emotion-regulation, flexibility, communication, and social skills. Overall, this study provides preliminary support for the feasibility and potential efficacy of the CQ when delivered in schools to children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Macoun
- Psychology Department, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Isabel Schneider
- Psychology Department, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Buse Bedir
- Psychology Department, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - John Sheehan
- Psychology Department, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Andrew Sung
- Educational Psychology Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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17
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Sun H, Bornstein MH, Esposito G. The Specificity Principle in Young Dual Language Learners' English Development. Child Dev 2021; 92:1752-1768. [PMID: 33739442 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study employs the Specificity Principle to examine the relative impacts of external (input quantity at home and at school, number of books and reading frequency at home, teachers' degree and experience, language usage, socioeconomic status) and internal factors (children's working memory, nonverbal intelligence, learning-related social-skills, chronological age, gender) on children's English-language development in phonological awareness (PA), receptive vocabulary (RV), and word reading (WR). Altogether, 736 four- to five-year-old Singaporean Mandarin-English speaking kindergarteners were assessed twice longitudinally. Their English-language PA, RV, and WR development was predicted using the eight external factors and five internal factors with Bayesian least absolute shrinkage and selection operators. Internal factors explained more variance than external factors in all three language domains. External factors had their largest impact on RV.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Sun
- Nanyang Technological University
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18
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Kaminske AN, Kuepper-Tetzel CE, Nebel CL, Sumeracki MA, Ryan SP. Transfer: A Review for Biology and the Life Sciences. CBE LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION 2020; 19:es9. [PMID: 32870091 PMCID: PMC8711802 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.19-11-0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Transfer of knowledge from one context to another is one of the paramount goals of education. Educators want their students to transfer what they are learning from one topic to the next, between courses, and into the "real world." However, it is also notoriously difficult to get students to successfully transfer concepts. This issue is of particular concern in biology and the life sciences, for which transfer of concepts between disciplines is especially critical to understanding. Students not only struggle to transfer concepts like energy from chemistry to biology but also struggle to transfer concepts like chromosome structures in cell division within biology courses. This paper reviews the current research and understanding of transfer from cognitive psychology. We discuss how learner abilities, taught material, and lesson characteristics affect transfer and provide best practices for biology and life sciences education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Althea N. Kaminske
- Psychology Department, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778
| | | | - Cynthia L. Nebel
- Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations, Vanderbilt University Peabody College, Nashville, TN 37203
| | | | - Sean P. Ryan
- Biology Department, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778
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19
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Babayiğit S, Roulstone S, Wren Y. Linguistic comprehension and narrative skills predict reading ability: A 9-year longitudinal study. BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 91:148-168. [PMID: 32432355 DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Linguistic comprehension and narrative skills encapsulate a complex array of grammatical and semantic skills that underpin complex reading comprehension processes. However, most research in this area has focused on children with reading difficulties and not on typically developing children. Also the research has mostly focused on short-term effects of these skills on reading during the primary school years. Therefore, it remains unclear what specific role linguistic comprehension and narrative skills play in typically developing children's reading beyond the primary school years. AIMS With this 9-year prospective longitudinal study, we sought to clarify the independent effects of linguistic comprehension and narrative skill (at 5 years of age) on children's reading ability at 10 and 14 years of age. SAMPLE We examined the data from 716 children (MAge = 67 months, SD = 2.13 months), which were drawn from a major population cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. METHODS Children's language skills were assessed at 5 and word reading and reading comprehension skills at 10 years of age. The reading achievement scores at 14 years of age were based on national curriculum test results. RESULTS Linguistic comprehension and narrative skills at 5 years of age made unique and direct contributions to reading comprehension skills and reading achievement after accounting for general cognitive ability, memory, phonological skills, and mother's education. Moreover, listening comprehension predicted reading achievement even when prior reading skills were taken into account. CONCLUSIONS Linguistic comprehension and narrative skills are related but distinct oral language skills that continue to influence children's reading development beyond the primary school years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yvonne Wren
- University of Bristol, UK.,North Bristol NHS Trust, UK
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20
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Stepanov A, Kodrič KB, Stateva P. The role of working memory in children's ability for prosodic discrimination. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229857. [PMID: 32150570 PMCID: PMC7062260 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research established that young children are sensitive to prosodic cues discriminating between syntactic structures of otherwise similarly sounding sentences in a language unknown to them. In this study, we explore the role of working memory that children might deploy for the purpose of the sentence-level prosodic discrimination. Nine-year old Slovenian monolingual and bilingual children (N = 70) were tested on a same-different prosodic discrimination task in a language unknown to them (French) and on the working memory measures in the form of forward and backward digit span and non-word repetition tasks. The results suggest that both the storage and processing components of the working memory are involved in the prosodic discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Stepanov
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Karmen Brina Kodrič
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
| | - Penka Stateva
- Center for Cognitive Science of Language, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
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21
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Abstract
The term "modal model" reflects the importance of Atkinson and Shiffrin's paper in capturing the major developments in the cognitive psychology of memory that were achieved over the previous decade, providing an integrated framework that has formed the basis for many future developments. The fact that it is still the most cited model from that period some 50 years later has, we suggest, implications for the model itself and for theorising in psychology more generally. We review the essential foundations of the model before going on to discuss briefly the way in which one of its components, the short-term store, had influenced our own concept of a multicomponent working memory. This is followed by a discussion of recent claims that the concept of a short-term store be replaced by an interpretation in terms of activated long-term memory. We present several reasons to question these proposals. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of the longevity of the modal model for styles of theorising in cognitive psychology.
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22
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Sato J, Mossad SI, Wong SM, Hunt BAE, Dunkley BT, Urbain C, Taylor MJ. Spectral slowing is associated with working memory performance in children born very preterm. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15757. [PMID: 31673006 PMCID: PMC6823447 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52219-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Children born very preterm (VPT) often demonstrate selective difficulties in working memory (WM), which may underlie academic difficulties observed in this population. Despite this, few studies have investigated the functional networks underlying WM in young children born VPT, a period when cognitive deficits become apparent. Using magnetoencephalography, we examined the networks underlying the maintenance of visual information in 6-year-old VPT (n = 15) and full-term (FT; n = 20) children. Although task performance was similar, VPT children engaged different oscillatory mechanisms during WM maintenance. Within the FT group, we observed higher mean whole-brain connectivity in the alpha-band during the retention (i.e. maintenance) interval associated with correct compared to incorrect responses. VPT children showed reduced whole-brain alpha synchrony, and a different network organization with fewer connections. In the theta-band, VPT children demonstrated a slight increase in whole-brain connectivity during WM maintenance, and engaged similar network hubs as FT children in the alpha-band, including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that VPT children rely on the theta-band to support similar task performance. Altered oscillatory mechanisms may reflect a less mature pattern of functional recruitment underlying WM in VPT children, which may affect the processing in complex ecological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Simeon M Wong
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin A E Hunt
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Charline Urbain
- UR2NF - Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN) and ULB Neurosciences Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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23
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Lonergan A, Doyle C, Cassidy C, MacSweeney Mahon S, Roche RA, Boran L, Bramham J. A meta-analysis of executive functioning in dyslexia with consideration of the impact of comorbid ADHD. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2019.1669609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Lonergan
- Department of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caoilainn Doyle
- School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Clare Cassidy
- Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | | | | | - Lorraine Boran
- School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jessica Bramham
- Department of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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24
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de la Fuente J, González-Torres MC, Aznárez-Sanado M, Martínez-Vicente JM, Peralta-Sánchez FJ, Vera MM. Implications of Unconnected Micro, Molecular, and Molar Level Research in Psychology: The Case of Executive Functions, Self-Regulation, and External Regulation. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1919. [PMID: 31507487 PMCID: PMC6719524 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The proliferation of research production in Psychology as a science has been increasing exponentially. This situation leads to the necessity of organizing the research production into different levels of analysis that make it possible to delimit each research domain. The objective of this analysis is to clearly distinguish the different levels of research: micro-analysis, molecular, and molar. Each level is presented, along with an analysis of its benefits and limitations. Next, this analysis is applied to the topics of Executive Functions, Self-Regulation, and External Regulation. Conclusions, limitations, and implications for future research are offered, with a view toward a better connection of research production across the different levels, and an allusion to ethical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús de la Fuente
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,School of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | | | - José Manuel Martínez-Vicente
- School of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain.,Center of Research of Psychology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
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25
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Child Motivation and Family Environment Influence Outcomes of Working Memory Training in Extremely Preterm Children. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00138-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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26
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The Robotic Construction Kit as a Tool for Cognitive Stimulation in Children and Adolescents: The RE4BES Protocol. ROBOTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/robotics8010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Through numerous experiences, the robotics has been demonstrated to have good potential in the field of strengthening social skills in children with Special Educational Needs and in particular with autism spectrum disorder. There are still not many experimental studies on the cognitive enhancement and social skills of children with special needs conducted with robotics construction kits that, requiring both the construction of the robot body and the programming of its “mind“, bring into play a multiplicity of cognitive and social skills. For the aforementioned reasons our team from the University of Palermo and from the Center MetaIntelligenze ONLUS developed the treatment protocol RE4BES, which is a collection of guidelines for realizing robotics personalized activities for children with special needs. In this paper, two studies will be described concerning the first application of activities drawn from the RE4BES protocol. The first study concerns the use of the robotic construction kits for the stimulation of visuo-spatial abilities; in the second study the robot construction kits have been used to stimulate the attentional abilities in a child with severe difficulties on focused attention tasks.
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27
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Cockcroft K, Milligan R. Working Memory Structure in Atypical Development: HIV-infected and HIV-exposed, Uninfected School Beginners. Dev Neuropsychol 2019; 44:248-272. [PMID: 30623681 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1564309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Not much is known about the structure of working memory in atypical development. We undertook a detailed comparison of the functional organization of working memory in HIV-infected (n = 95; Mage = 7.42 years), and HIV-exposed (n = 86; Mage = 7.36 years) children, together with an uninfected, unexposed typically developing comparison group (n = 92; Mage = 7.05 years). Participants were in their first year of formal education. Within-group comparisons of five models showed that a four-factor model with separate verbal and visuospatial storage and processing accounted for the typically developing group, while working memory was structurally undifferentiated in the HIV-affected groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Cockcroft
- a Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa
| | - Robyn Milligan
- a Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development , University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg , South Africa
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28
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Rutherford T, Buschkuehl M, Jaeggi SM, Farkas G. Links between achievement, executive functions, and self-regulated learning. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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29
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Vandenbroucke L, Spilt JL, Verschueren K, Baeyens D. The effects of peer rejection, parent and teacher support on working memory performance: An experimental approach in middle childhood. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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30
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Tian T, Zhang Y, Wu T, Yang L, Chen C, Li N, Li Y, Xu S, Fu Z, Cui X, Ji C, Chi X, Tong M, Chen R, Hong Q, Hu Y. miRNA profiling in the hippocampus of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder rats. J Cell Biochem 2018; 120:3621-3629. [PMID: 30270454 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.27639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- Department of Child Health Care The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical College, The Affiliated XuZhou Hospital of Medical College of Southeast University Jiangsu China
| | - Tianqi Wu
- Department of Cancer Institute Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - Lei Yang
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Chunxiao Chen
- Department of Child Health Care Yancheng Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Yancheng China
| | - Nan Li
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Yue Li
- Department of Child Health Care The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Siliang Xu
- Department of Child Health Care The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Ziyi Fu
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Xianwei Cui
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Chenbo Ji
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Xia Chi
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Meiling Tong
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Ronghua Chen
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Qin Hong
- Department of Child Health Care Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Obsterics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
| | - Youfang Hu
- Department of Child Health Care The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing China
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31
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Sato J, Mossad SI, Wong SM, Hunt BAE, Dunkley BT, Smith ML, Urbain C, Taylor MJ. Alpha keeps it together: Alpha oscillatory synchrony underlies working memory maintenance in young children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 34:114-123. [PMID: 30336447 PMCID: PMC6969306 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated brain networks underlying working memory maintenance in children. Higher alpha phase synchrony was found for correct compared to incorrect responses. Working memory maintenance was associated with dominant fronto-temporal connections. Maintenance-related network included the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our results implicate sustained alpha phase synchrony with successful performance.
Working Memory (WM) supports a wide range of cognitive functions, and is positively associated with academic achievement. Although fMRI studies have revealed WM networks in adults, little is known about how these networks develop to support successful WM performance in children. Using magnetoencephalography, we examined the networks underlying the maintenance of visual information in 6-year-old children. We observed an increase in mean whole-brain connectivity that was specific to the alpha frequency band during the retention interval associated with correct compared to incorrect responses. Additionally, our network analysis revealed elevated alpha synchronization during WM maintenance in a distributed network of frontal, parietal and temporal regions. Central hubs in the network were lateralized to the left hemisphere with dominant fronto-temporal connections, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, middle temporal and superior temporal gyri, as well as other canonical language areas. Local changes in power were also analysed for seeds of interest, including the left inferior parietal lobe, which revealed an increase in alpha power after stimulus onset that was sustained throughout the retention period of WM. Our results therefore implicate sustained fronto-temporal alpha synchrony during the retention interval with subsequent successful WM responses in children, which may be aided by subvocal rehearsal strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Simeon M Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin A E Hunt
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mary Lou Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Charline Urbain
- UR2NF-Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN) and ULB Neurosciences Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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32
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Giofrè D, Donolato E, Mammarella IC. The differential role of verbal and visuospatial working memory in mathematics and reading. Trends Neurosci Educ 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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33
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Swanson HL, Kudo MF, Van Horn ML. Does the structure of working memory in EL children vary across age and two language systems? Memory 2018; 27:174-191. [PMID: 29993329 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2018.1496264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the cross-sectional structure of working memory (WM) among elementary school English learners (ELs). A battery of WM tasks was administered in Spanish (L1) and English (L2) within five age groups (ages 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10). Confirmatory factor analysis showed a three-factor structure of WM emerged in both L1 and L2 administrations for each age group. The important findings, however, were: (1) the separation between the executive component and storage component (phonological loop) structure of WM increased as a function of age within both language systems, (2) the structure of WM supported a domain general phonological storage component and a domain general executive system across both language systems, and (3) the visual-spatial WM system shared minimal variance with the executive system. Taken together, the findings support Baddeley's multicomponent model (e.g., Baddeley & Logie, 1999. The multiple-component model. In A. Miyake & P. Shah (Eds.), Models of working memory: Mechanisms of active maintenance and executive control (pp. 28-61). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) as a good fit to the structure of WM in EL children's English and Spanish language system.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Lee Swanson
- a Area of Educational Psychology , University of New Mexico , Albuquerque , NM , USA.,b Area of Educational Psychology , University of California-Riverside , Riverside , CA , USA
| | - Milagros Fatima Kudo
- b Area of Educational Psychology , University of California-Riverside , Riverside , CA , USA
| | - M Lee Van Horn
- c Educational Psychology-Methodology Group , University of New Mexico , Albuquerque , NM , USA
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Archibald LMD. The Reciprocal Influences of Working Memory and Linguistic Knowledge on Language Performance: Considerations for the Assessment of Children With Developmental Language Disorder. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2018; 49:424-433. [DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-17-0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
This article considers how the language performance of school-age children with language impairments, such as developmental language disorder, is influenced by the reciprocal relationship of existing linguistic knowledge and working memory resources and the resultant implications for assessment.
Method
A viewpoint is provided by reviewing working memory theory, empirical evidence of the reciprocal relationship between working memory and existing language knowledge, and critically evaluating available standardized and nonstandardized tools designed to assess working memory or linguistic skills.
Conclusions
Speech-language pathologists with an excellent understanding of the reciprocal relationship between working memory and linguistic knowledge will need to examine performance across tasks and contexts varying in these demands in order to achieve an accurate clinical profile of relevant strengths and weaknesses for individual children.
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Intrinsic motivation and academic performance in school-age children born extremely preterm: The contribution of working memory. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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36
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Gómez CM, Barriga-Paulino CI, Rodríguez-Martínez EI, Rojas-Benjumea MÁ, Arjona A, Gómez-González J. The neurophysiology of working memory development: from childhood to adolescence and young adulthood. Rev Neurosci 2018; 29:261-282. [DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2017-0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWorking memory (WM) is an important cognitive function that is necessary to perform our daily activities. The present review briefly describes the most accepted models underlying WM and the neural networks involved in its processing. The review focuses on how the neurophysiological mechanisms develop with age in the periods from childhood to adolescence and young adulthood. Studies using behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological techniques showed the progress of WM throughout the development. The present review focuses on the neurophysiology of the basic processes underlying WM operations, as indicated by electroencephalogram-derived signals, in order to take advantage of the excellent time resolution of this technique. Children and adults use similar cerebral mechanisms and areas to encode, recognize, and keep the stimuli in memory and update the WM contents, although adults rely more on anterior sites. The possibility that a functional reorganization of WM brain processing occurs around the adolescent period is suggested, and would partly justify the high prevalence of the emergence of mental pathology in the adolescent period.
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Abstract
Several sessions of mindfulness practice can exert positive gains for child executive functions (EF); however, the evidence for effects of a mindfulness induction, on EF for adults, is mixed and this effect has not been tested in children. The immediate effect of an age appropriate 3-min mindfulness induction on EF of children aged 4-7 years was tested. Participants (N = 156) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness induction or dot-to-dot activity comparison group before completing four measures of EF. A composite score for EF was calculated from summed z scores of the four EF measures. A difference at baseline in behavioural difficulties between the mindfulness induction and comparison group meant that data was analysed using a hierarchical regression. The mindfulness induction resulted in higher average performance for the composite EF score (M = 0.12) compared to the comparison group (M = - 0.05). Behavioural difficulties significantly predicted 5.3% of the variance in EF performance but participation in the mindfulness or comparison induction did not significantly affect EF. The non-significant effect of a mindfulness induction to exert immediate effects on EF fits within broader evidence reporting mixed effects when similar experimental designs have been used with adults. The findings are discussed with consideration of the extent to which methodological differences may account for these mixed effects and how mindfulness inductions fit within broader theoretical and empirical understanding of the effects of mindfulness on EF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Leyland
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 2LT UK
| | - Lisa-Marie Emerson
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 2LT UK
| | - Georgina Rowse
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 2LT UK
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Cheong MHY, Young SEL, Young DPCY, Lee MLC, Rickard Liow SJ. Early Reading Abilities of Bilingual Children With Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 2018; 55:259-268. [PMID: 29351038 DOI: 10.1177/1055665617723923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the early reading abilities, and related cognitive-linguistic processes, in bilingual children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), and to identify deficits that might be amenable to intervention. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Bilingual participants with CL/P aged 5 to 6 years who were English-dominant ( n=17) or Mandarin-dominant ( n=18) were recruited using consecutive sampling from a national cleft treatment center and matched pairwise to a sample of typically developing (TD) children on language dominance, age, and socioeconomic status. All participants were assessed in English on single-word reading accuracy using the Wide Range Achievement Test (4th Ed), and key cognitive-linguistic factors associated with reading development: phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN), receptive and expressive vocabulary, and verbal short-term and working memory. RESULTS CL/P and TD groups were compared within language dominance group (Mandarin or English) for all measures. The Mandarin-dominant CL/P group had significantly poorer reading accuracy and phonological awareness than their TD peers. Additionally, regardless of language dominance, faster RAN correlated significantly with better reading accuracy in both the CL/P groups but not the TD groups. CONCLUSIONS Children with CL/P who are learning English as a second language are at greater risk of reading difficulties. Furthermore, the cognitive-linguistic processes underlying early reading in bilingual children with CL/P differ from those of their TD peers. Routine screening and tailored intervention is advisable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Heng Yue Cheong
- 1 Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Selena Ee-Li Young
- 1 Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- 2 Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore
| | | | - Mary Lay Choo Lee
- 3 Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Susan Jane Rickard Liow
- 1 Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Narimoto T, Matsuura N, Hiratani M. Impaired Visuospatial Short-Term Memory in Children with ADHD. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2018; 179:19-29. [DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2017.1414028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tadamasa Narimoto
- School of Psychology, Tokyo University of Social Welfare, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Michio Hiratani
- Hiratani Pediatric Clinic for Disabled Children, Fukui, Japan
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Moreno-Fernández MM, Blanco F, Matute H. Causal illusions in children when the outcome is frequent. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184707. [PMID: 28898294 PMCID: PMC5595306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Causal illusions occur when people perceive a causal relation between two events that are actually unrelated. One factor that has been shown to promote these mistaken beliefs is the outcome probability. Thus, people tend to overestimate the strength of a causal relation when the potential consequence (i.e. the outcome) occurs with a high probability (outcome-density bias). Given that children and adults differ in several important features involved in causal judgment, including prior knowledge and basic cognitive skills, developmental studies can be considered an outstanding approach to detect and further explore the psychological processes and mechanisms underlying this bias. However, the outcome density bias has been mainly explored in adulthood, and no previous evidence for this bias has been reported in children. Thus, the purpose of this study was to extend outcome-density bias research to childhood. In two experiments, children between 6 and 8 years old were exposed to two similar setups, both showing a non-contingent relation between the potential cause and the outcome. These two scenarios differed only in the probability of the outcome, which could either be high or low. Children judged the relation between the two events to be stronger in the high probability of the outcome setting, revealing that, like adults, they develop causal illusions when the outcome is frequent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando Blanco
- Departamento de Fundamentos y Métodos de la Psicología, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Helena Matute
- Departamento de Fundamentos y Métodos de la Psicología, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
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Mammarella IC, Caviola S, Giofrè D, Szűcs D. The underlying structure of visuospatial working memory in children with mathematical learning disability. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 36:220-235. [DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene C. Mammarella
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology; University of Padova; Italy
| | - Sara Caviola
- Department of Psychology; University of Cambridge; UK
| | - David Giofrè
- Department of Natural Sciences and Psychology; Liverpool John Moores University; UK
| | - Dénes Szűcs
- Department of Psychology; University of Cambridge; UK
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Baltruschat L, Hasselhorn M, Tarbox J, Dixon DR, Najdowski A, Mullins RD, Gould E. The Effects of Multiple Exemplar Training on a Working Memory Task Involving Sequential Responding in Children With Autism. PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03395820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Vandenbroucke L, Spilt J, Verschueren K, Baeyens D. Keeping the Spirits Up: The Effect of Teachers' and Parents' Emotional Support on Children's Working Memory Performance. Front Psychol 2017; 8:512. [PMID: 28421026 PMCID: PMC5378781 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory, used to temporarily store and mentally manipulate information, is important for children’s learning. It is therefore valuable to understand which (contextual) factors promote or hinder working memory performance. Recent research shows positive associations between positive parent–child and teacher–student interactions and working memory performance and development. However, no study has yet experimentally investigated how parents and teachers affect working memory performance. Based on attachment theory, the current study investigated the role of parent and teacher emotional support in promoting working memory performance by buffering the negative effect of social stress. Questionnaires and an experimental session were completed by 170 children from grade 1 to 2 (Mage = 7 years 6 months, SD = 7 months). Questionnaires were used to assess children’s perceptions of the teacher–student and parent–child relationship. During an experimental session, working memory was measured with the Corsi task backward (Milner, 1971) in a pre- and post-test design. In-between the tests stress was induced in the children using the Cyberball paradigm (Williams et al., 2000). Emotional support was manipulated (between-subjects) through an audio message (either a weather report, a supportive message of a stranger, a supportive message of a parent, or a supportive message of a teacher). Results of repeated measures ANOVA showed no clear effect of the stress induction. Nevertheless, an effect of parent and teacher support was found and depended on the quality of the parent–child relationship. When children had a positive relationship with their parent, support of parents and teachers had little effect on working memory performance. When children had a negative relationship with their parent, a supportive message of that parent decreased working memory performance, while a supportive message from the teacher increased performance. In sum, the current study suggests that parents and teachers can support working memory performance by being supportive for the child. Teacher support is most effective when the child has a negative relationship with the parent. These insights can give direction to specific measures aimed at preventing and resolving working memory problems and related issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren Vandenbroucke
- Parenting and Special Education Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Jantine Spilt
- School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Karine Verschueren
- School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Dieter Baeyens
- Parenting and Special Education Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
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Ma L, Chang L, Chen X, Zhou R. Working memory test battery for young adults: Computerized working memory assessment. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175047. [PMID: 28362867 PMCID: PMC5376327 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study developed a battery of computerized working memory (WM) tests and a scoring system suitable for young adult users. The tests comprised five classic tasks derived from Baddeley's model of WM, reflecting each of the five WM functions. We recruited 115 undergraduate and graduate students from various academic fields and constructed a preliminary WM scoring norm for young adults. The scoring norm was used as a basis for developing a computerized assessment system. The results of correlation analysis show that the fluid intelligence of young adults is related to the memory function of WM, but not to the central executive system. The proposed working memory test battery for young adults comprehensively reflects the WM capacity of adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Ma
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Macau S.A.R., China
| | - Xiaoying Chen
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Renlai Zhou
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavior Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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45
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Fuentes A, Kerr EN. Maintenance effects of working memory intervention (Cogmed) in children with symptomatic epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2017; 67:51-59. [PMID: 28088681 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To extend previous research documenting the benefits of working memory (WM) intervention (Cogmed) immediately post-intervention in children with epilepsy by assessing the 3-month maintenance effects. METHODS Participants involved in a previous randomized clinical trial (RCT) were invited to participate if they completed Cogmed within the last 3months (n=15) and additional participants (n=13) were prospectively recruited. Standardized assessments of near-transfer effects (i.e., visual and auditory attention and WM) were completed prior to and immediately after intervention and at 3-month follow-up. An additional measure assessing the far-transfer effect of fluid reasoning was administered prior to intervention and at 3-month follow-up. RESULTS Participants exhibited gains in auditory and visual attention and WM immediately following intervention and gains were generally sustained at 3-month follow-up. Intervention did not improve visual-verbal WM or fluid reasoning. The clinical variables studied (i.e., age of seizure onset, seizure frequency, epilepsy duration, and overall intellectual functioning) did not elucidate reliable relationships with intervention. CONCLUSIONS Working memory training is possibly efficacious in improving related skills which are maintained for 3months in children with active epilepsy. No transfer to fluid reasoning was documented. Further investigation by means of a large-scale RCT which includes a placebo and both objective and subjective measures of the impact of training on daily functioning is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Fuentes
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Elizabeth N Kerr
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada.
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Day-Hess C, Clements DH. The DREME Network: Research and Interventions in Early Childhood Mathematics. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 53:1-41. [PMID: 28844242 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2017.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The DREME Network was created to advance the field of early mathematics research and improves the opportunities to develop math competencies offered to children birth through age 8 years, with an emphasis on the preschool years. All four main Network projects will have implications for interventions. Section 1 introduces the Network and its four projects. The remainder of the chapter focuses on one of these four projects, Making More of Math (MMM), in depth. MMM is directly developing an intervention for children, based on selecting high-quality instructional activities culled from the burgeoning curriculum resources. We first report a review of 457 activities from 6 research-based curricula, which describes the number of activities by content focus, type (nature), and setting of each activity. Given the interest in higher-order thinking skills and self-regulation, we then identified activities that had the potential to, develop both mathematics and executive function (EF) proficiencies. We rated these, selecting the top 10 for extensive coding by mathematics content and EF processes addressed. We find a wide divergence across curricula in all these categories and provide comprehensive reports for those interested in selecting, using, or developing early mathematics curricula.
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Principal Component Analysis of Working Memory Variables during Child and Adolescent Development. THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 19:E62. [PMID: 27692027 DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2016.64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of behavioral measures from two experimental tasks (Delayed Match-to-Sample and Oddball), and standard scores from a neuropsychological test battery (Working Memory Test Battery for Children) was performed on data from participants between 6-18 years old. The correlation analysis (p 1), the scores of the first extracted component were significantly correlated (p < .05) to most behavioral measures, suggesting some commonalities of the processes of age-related changes in the measured variables. The results suggest that this first component would be related to age but also to individual differences during the cognitive maturation process across childhood and adolescence stages. The fourth component would represent the speed-accuracy trade-off phenomenon as it presents loading components with different signs for reaction times and errors.
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Wardlow L, Heyman GD. The roles of feedback and working memory in children’s reference production. J Exp Child Psychol 2016; 150:180-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Cirino PT, Morris MK, Morris RD. Semantic, Executive, and Visuospatial Abilities in Mathematical Reasoning of Referred College Students. Assessment 2016; 14:94-104. [PMID: 17314185 DOI: 10.1177/1073191106291487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Semantic retrieval (SR) and executive-procedural (EP), but not visuospatial (VS) skills, have been found to be uniquely predictive of mathematical calculation skills in a sample of clinically referred college students. This study set out to cross-validate these results in an independent sample of clinically referred college students (N = 337) as well as extend them by examination of the contributions of these cognitive domains to math reasoning skills. Results indicate that these cognitive domains were able to predict 30% of the variance in calculation skills and 50% of the variance in math reasoning; however, in both cases, only the domains of semantic retrieval and visuospatial skill contributed uniquely. Differences between studies, and the lack of unique contribution of the EP domain to either type of math skill, may be due to measurement and sampling differences, the degree of shared relations among domains, and the choice of measures that represent the EP domain. Implications and future directions are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul T Cirino
- Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, TX 77204-5355, USA.
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Fuentes A, Westmacott R, Deotto A, deVeber G, Desrocher M. [Formula: see text]Working memory outcomes following unilateral arterial ischemic stroke in childhood. Child Neuropsychol 2016; 23:803-821. [PMID: 27424626 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2016.1205008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
There is a dearth of research examining working memory (WM) following pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). This study assesses the WM patterns of 32 children, aged 6 to 14 years, with a history of unilateral AIS and 32 controls using a paradigm based on Baddeley and Hitch's multi-component WM model. The results indicate compromised WM in children with AIS relative to controls and parent reports confirm higher rates of dysfunction. Supplementary analyses of impairment confirm higher rates in children with AIS, ranging from 31.25% to 38.70% on performance-based measures and 50.00% on parent reports, compared to 0.00% to 21.88% on performance-based measures in controls and 15.63% on parent reports. Continual follow-up is recommended given that a subset of children with stroke appear to be at risk for WM impairment. Moreover, the subtle nature of WM challenges experienced by many children who have experienced a stroke increases the likelihood that WM impairment could go undetected. The long-term trajectories of WM in the pediatric stroke population remains unknown and future studies are needed to track changes in WM functioning over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Fuentes
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , Canada.,b Department of Psychology , Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Canada
| | - Robyn Westmacott
- b Department of Psychology , Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Canada
| | - Angela Deotto
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , Canada
| | - Gabrielle deVeber
- c Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology , Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto , Canada
| | - Mary Desrocher
- a Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , Canada
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