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Nedergaard JSK, Lupyan G. Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral Consequences of Anendophasia. Psychol Sci 2024:9567976241243004. [PMID: 38728320 DOI: 10.1177/09567976241243004] [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: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that inner speech-the experience of thought as occurring in a natural language-is a human universal. Recent evidence, however, suggests that the experience of inner speech in adults varies from near constant to nonexistent. We propose a name for a lack of the experience of inner speech-anendophasia-and report four studies examining some of its behavioral consequences. We found that adults who reported low levels of inner speech (N = 46) had lower performance on a verbal working memory task and more difficulty performing rhyme judgments compared with adults who reported high levels of inner speech (N = 47). Task-switching performance-previously linked to endogenous verbal cueing-and categorical effects on perceptual judgments were unrelated to differences in inner speech.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary Lupyan
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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2
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Panikratova YR, Lebedeva IS, Akhutina TV, Tikhonov DV, Kaleda VG, Vlasova RM. Executive control of language in schizophrenia patients with history of auditory verbal hallucinations: A neuropsychological and resting-state fMRI study. Schizophr Res 2023; 262:201-210. [PMID: 37923596 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.10.026] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As demonstrated by a plethora of studies, compromised executive functions (EF) and language are implicated in mechanisms of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), but the contribution of their interaction to AVH remains unclear. We hypothesized that schizophrenia patients with history of AVH (AVHh+) vs. without history of AVH (AVHh-) have a specific deficit of executive control of language and alterations in functional connectivity (FC) between the brain regions involved in EF and language, and these neuropsychological and neurophysiological traits are associated with each other. METHODS To explore the executive control of language and its contribution to AVH, we used an integrative approach involving analysis of neuropsychological and resting-state fMRI data of 34 AVHh+, 16 AVHh-, and 40 healthy controls. We identified the neuropsychological and FC measures that differentiated between AVHh+, AVHh-, and HC, and tested the associations between them. RESULTS AVHh+ were characterized by decreased category and phonological verbal fluency, utterance length, productivity in the planning tasks, and poorer retelling. AVHh+ had decreased FC between the left inferior frontal gyrus and the anterior cingulate cortex. Productivity in category verbal fluency was associated with the FC between these regions. CONCLUSIONS Poor executive control of word retrieval and deficient programming of sentence and narrative related to more general deficits of planning may be the neuropsychological traits specific for AVHh+. A neurophysiological trait specific for AVHh+ may be a decreased FC between regions involved in language production and differentiation between alien- vs. self-generated speech and between language production vs. comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana R Panikratova
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Multimodal Analysis, Mental Health Research Center, 115522, 34 Kashirskoye shosse, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Irina S Lebedeva
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Multimodal Analysis, Mental Health Research Center, 115522, 34 Kashirskoye shosse, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana V Akhutina
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 125009, 11/9 Mokhovaya street, Moscow, Russia
| | - Denis V Tikhonov
- Department of Youth Psychiatry, Mental Health Research Center, 115522, 34 Kashirskoye shosse, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vasilii G Kaleda
- Department of Youth Psychiatry, Mental Health Research Center, 115522, 34 Kashirskoye shosse, Moscow, Russia
| | - Roza M Vlasova
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, 101 Manning Dr # 1, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States of America
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McGuire R, Halligan SL, Schweizer S, Leung JT, Hiller RM. Cognitive and affective control for adolescents in care versus their peers: implications for mental health. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2023; 17:128. [PMID: 37946284 PMCID: PMC10636895 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00668-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many adolescents who have been removed from the care of their biological parent(s) and placed in State or Local Authority care have experienced significant adversity, including high rates of maltreatment and other trauma(s). As a group, these young people experience far higher rates of mental health difficulties compared to their peers. While their mental health outcomes are well-documented, little is known about mechanisms that may drive this. One potential mechanism, linked to both trauma and adversity exposure and mental health, is affective control (the application of cognitive control in affective contexts). METHODS We compared cognitive and affective control in 71 adolescents (65% girls) in care aged 11-18 (M = 14.82, SD = 2.10) and 71 age and gender-matched peers aged 11-19 years (M = 14.75, SD = 1.95). We measured cognitive and affective control using standard experimental tasks, and for those in care, we also examined associations with self-reported emotion regulation, mental health, and school well-being. RESULTS After controlling for IQ, there was a significant group difference in affective control performance, with those in care on average performing worse across all tasks. However, further analyses showed this was driven by deficits in overall cognitive control ability, and was not specific to, or worsened by, affective stimuli. Further, we found no evidence that either cognitive or affective control was associated with emotion regulation abilities or the mental health and well-being of young people in care. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that cognitive and affective control may not underlie mental health for young people in care, though limitations should be considered. We discuss implications for theory and intervention development, and avenues for further research. TRIAL REGISTRATION https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/QJVDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosie McGuire
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L Halligan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Susanne Schweizer
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jovita T Leung
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel M Hiller
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, United Kingdom
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4
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Alderson-Day B, Pearson A. What can neurodiversity tell us about inner speech, and vice versa? A theoretical perspective. Cortex 2023; 168:193-202. [PMID: 37769592 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Inner speech refers to the experience of talking to oneself in one's head. While notoriously challenging to investigate, it has also been central to a range of questions concerning mind, brain, and behaviour. Posited as a key component in executive function and self-regulation, inner speech has been claimed to be crucial in higher cognitive operations, self-knowledge and self-awareness. Such arguments have traditionally been supported with examples of atypical development. But variations in inner speech - and in some cases, significant diversity - in fact pose several key challenges to such claims, and raises many more questions for, language, thought and mental health more generally. In this review, we will summarise evidence on the experience and operation of inner speech in child and adult neurotypical populations, autistic people and other neurodivergent groups, and people with diverse experiences of linguistic and sensory development, including deafness. We will demonstrate that the relationship between inner speech and cognitive operations may be more complex than first assumed when explored through the lens of cognitive and neurological diversity, and the implications of that for understanding the developing brain in all populations. We discuss why and how the experience of inner speech in neurodivergent groups has often been assumed rather than investigated, making it an important opportunity for researchers to develop innovative future work that integrates participatory insights with cognitive methodology. Finally, we will outline why variations in inner speech - in neurotypical and neurodivergent populations alike - nevertheless have a range of important implications for mental health vulnerability and unmet need. In this sense, the example of inner speech offers us both a way of looking back at the logic of developmental psychology and neuropsychology, and a clue to its future in a neurodiverse world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Pearson
- Department of Psychology, University of Sunderland, UK
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5
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Nedergaard JSK, Christensen MS, Wallentin M. Mind over body: Interfering with the inner voice is detrimental to endurance performance. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2023; 68:102472. [PMID: 37665911 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
In two preregistered experiments, we investigated whether covert language is involved in sustained physical efforts, specifically if people are less able to push themselves physically when distracted from using inner speech. In both experiments, participants performed 12 cycling trials (Experiment 1: N = 49; Experiment 2: N = 50), each lasting 1 min where participants were required to cycle as fast as possible while simultaneously engaging in either a visuospatial task, a verbal task or no interference. Experiment 1: Participants performed worse in the verbal interference condition compared with the control condition (d = 0.29) and verbal interference performance was numerically but not significantly worse than visuospatial interference (d = 0.22). Experiment 2: A more demanding interference task yielded significant slower cycling with verbal interference compared to both control (d = 1) and visuospatial interference (d = 0.43). These results indicate that inner speech plays a causal role in control of sustained physical efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanne S K Nedergaard
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Semiotics, Aarhus University, Denmark.
| | - Mark Schram Christensen
- Department of Psychology, Cognition, Intention and Action Group, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Neuroscience, Christensen Lab, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Wallentin
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Semiotics, Aarhus University, Denmark
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Baron LS, Arbel Y. Inner Speech and Executive Function in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Implications for Assessment and Intervention. PERSPECTIVES OF THE ASHA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS 2022; 7:1645-1659. [PMID: 38957614 PMCID: PMC11218747 DOI: 10.1044/2022_persp-22-00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Purpose Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) also have difficulty with executive function. The presence of co-occurring deficits in language and executive function can obscure assessment results and lead to the implementation of ineffective interventions. It is also the case that inner speech, or the use of self-directed language to guide thought and action, often mediates performance on executive function tasks. The aims of this tutorial are to (a) summarize what is known about how inner speech affects executive function performance in typical populations and children with DLD and (b) highlight potential implications for clinical practice and directions for future research. We provide a brief background on inner speech, including theoretical frameworks, typical development, and measurement approaches. We then summarize research on inner speech and executive function involving typical adults and children, followed by a description of the few studies involving children with DLD. Conclusions Work with typical adults and children has concluded that inner speech operates as a self-cueing device to support understanding of task rules, sequencing of task order, and maintenance of task goals. Work involving children with DLD suggests that their inner speech is less mature, less relevant, and less effective overall when completing executive function tasks. However, very few studies have examined the relations between inner speech and executive function in children with DLD. It is important for speech-language pathologists to understand the potential role of inner speech during executive function tasks, given how often these skills are utilized during everyday activities. Although more research is needed, speech-language pathologists are in a unique position to support both language and executive function goals for children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren S. Baron
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
| | - Yael Arbel
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA
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7
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What is the interference in “verbal interference”? Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 230:103774. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Dietrichson J, Thomsen MK, Seerup JK, Strandby MW, Viinholt BCA, Bengtsen E. PROTOCOL: School-based language, math, and reading interventions for executive functions in children and adolescents: A systematic review. CAMPBELL SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2022; 18:e1262. [PMID: 36909886 PMCID: PMC9275554 DOI: 10.1002/cl2.1262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. Our primary objective for this systematic review is to examine if preschool and school-based interventions aimed at improving language, literacy, and/or mathematical skills increase children's and adolescents' executive functions. As a secondary objective, we will examine how the effects of language, literacy, and mathematics interventions on executive functions are moderated by the subject of the intervention, child age or grade, the type of EF measured, and the at-risk status of participants. We will also explore how the effects are moderated by other study characteristics, and estimate the effects of the included interventions on language, literacy, and mathematical skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Dietrichson
- VIVE—The Danish Center for Social Science ResearchCopenhagenDenmark
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Functional Hemispheric Activity and Asymmetry Markers of Effective Foreign Language Performance in 3rd-Grade, 10th-Grade, and University Students. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14081659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity of the left hemisphere is often associated with linguistic functioning, including in a foreign language. At the same time, research results demonstrate that different structures in both hemispheres can be jointly activated in the performance of particular linguistic tasks. The current study aimed to identify functional hemispheric activity and asymmetry markers for effective foreign language performance. The study sample consisted of 27 3rd-grade, 26 10th-grade, and 21 university students, all native Russian. To measure functional hemispheric asymmetry and activity before and after an English class and before an English test, we used computer laterometry in the ‘two-source’ lead–lag dichotic paradigm. The study results reveal that left hemispheric functional dominance can be considered as a marker for effective activity during an English class and an English test in 3rd-grade and 10th-grade students. In university students, right hemispheric functional dominance predicted better efficacy during the English class. Therefore, the results obtained provide evidence about different hemispheric activity and asymmetry modes for different ages of foreign language mastering, and the results may support the hypothesis about the possibility of a ‘sensitive period’ for foreign language acquisition occurring at any age. These findings can be applied to the creation of biofeedback trainings for hemispheric profile optimization when learning a foreign language and may help in creating personalized learning schedules.
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10
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Exploring the Link between Novel Task Proceduralization and Motor Simulation. J Cogn 2021; 4:57. [PMID: 34693200 PMCID: PMC8485871 DOI: 10.5334/joc.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to generate efficient behavior from novel instructions is critical for our adaptation to changing environments. Despite the absence of previous experience, novel instructed content is quickly encoded into an action-based or procedural format, facilitating automatic task processing. In the current work, we investigated the link between proceduralization and motor simulation, specifically, whether the covert activation of the task-relevant responses is used during the assembly of action-based instructions representations. Across three online experiments, we used a concurrent finger-tapping task to block motor simulation during the encoding of novel stimulus-response (S-R) associations. The overlap between the mappings and the motor task at the response level was manipulated. We predicted a greater impairment at mapping implementation in the overlapping condition, where the mappings' relevant response representations were already loaded by the motor demands, and thus, could not be used in the upcoming task simulation. This hypothesis was robustly supported by the three datasets. Nonetheless, the overlapping effect was not modulated by further manipulations of proceduralization-related variables (preparation demands in Exp.2, mapping novelty in Exp.3). Importantly, a fourth control experiment ruled out that our results were driven by alternative accounts as fatigue or negative priming. Overall, we provided strong evidence towards the involvement of motor simulation during anticipatory task reconfiguration. However, this involvement was rather general, and not restricted to novelty scenarios. Finally, these findings can be also integrated into broader models of anticipatory task control, stressing the role of the motor system during preparation.
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11
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Hollocks MJ, Charman T, Baird G, Lord C, Pickles A, Simonoff E. Exploring the impact of adolescent cognitive inflexibility on emotional and behavioural problems experienced by autistic adults. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 26:1229-1241. [PMID: 34579554 PMCID: PMC9340135 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211046160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Autistic people experience high levels of co-occurring mental health difficulties. To develop more effective treatments, a greater understanding of the thinking processes that may lead to these difficulties is needed. Cognitive inflexibility, defined as a rigid pattern of thoughts and subsequently behaviours, is one possible thinking trait which has previously been associated with both co-occurring mental health difficulties but also other features of autism such as restricted and repetitive behaviours. Restricted and repetitive behaviours include repetitive movements, ritualistic behaviours, and/or highly focused interests. This study investigates the relationship between, cognitive inflexibility, measured using neuropsychological tasks, and emotional and behavioural problems across adolescence and early adulthood. Eighty-one autistic people who were recruited to be representative of the wider autism population were assessed at 16 and 23 years on measures of emotional and behavioural problems, with cognitive inflexibility, restricted and repetitive behaviours and verbal intelligence measured at 16 years. We used statistical modelling to investigate the relationship between cognitive inflexibility and emotional and behavioural symptoms at both timepoints while accounting for the possible relationship with restricted and repetitive behaviours and verbal intelligence quotient. Our results suggest that cognitive inflexibility may be an important factor associated with emotional difficulties across adolescence and early adulthood. This suggests that developing intervention approaches targeting cognitive inflexibility may be an important step in improving the mental health of those with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hollocks
- King's College London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Tony Charman
- King's College London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Gillian Baird
- Evelina Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Catherine Lord
- UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, USA
| | - Andrew Pickles
- King's College London and Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, UK
| | - Emily Simonoff
- King's College London, UK.,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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12
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Pomper R, Kaushanskaya M, Saffran J. Change is hard: Individual differences in children's lexical processing and executive functions after a shift in dimensions. LANGUAGE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 2021; 18:229-247. [PMID: 35600505 PMCID: PMC9122267 DOI: 10.1080/15475441.2021.1947289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Language comprehension involves cognitive abilities that are specific to language as well as cognitive abilities that are more general and involved in a wide range of behaviors. One set of domain-general abilities that support language comprehension are executive functions (EFs), also known as cognitive control. A diverse body of research has demonstrated that EFs support language comprehension when there is conflict between competing, incompatible interpretations of temporarily ambiguous words or phrases. By engaging EFs, children and adults are able to select or bias their attention towards the correct interpretation. However, the degree to which language processing engages EFs in the absence of ambiguity is poorly understood. In the current experiment, we tested whether EFs may be engaged when comprehending speech that does not elicit conflicting interpretations. Different components of EFs were measured using several behavioral tasks and language comprehension was measured using an eye-tracking procedure. Five-year-old children (n=56) saw pictures of familiar objects and heard sentences identifying the objects using either their names or colors. After a series of objects were identified using one dimension, children were significantly less accurate in fixating target objects that were identified using a second dimension. Further results reveal that this decrease in accuracy does not occur because children struggle to shift between dimensions, but rather because they are unable to predict which dimension will be used. These effects of predictability are related to individual differences in children's EFs. Taken together, these findings suggest that EFs may be more broadly involved when children comprehend language, even in instances that do not require conflict resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Pomper
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Margarita Kaushanskaya
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jenny Saffran
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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Gago Galvagno LG, Miller SE, De Grandis C, Elgier AM. Emerging coherence and relations to communication among executive function tasks in toddlers: Evidence from a Latin American sample. INFANCY 2021; 26:962-979. [PMID: 34237203 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent work within early executive function (EF) seems to suggest that toddlers show distinct patterns of development, involving poorly correlated performance across EF tasks and significant improvements over relatively short periods of time. The present study sought to extend these findings by investigating evidence for these patterns in toddlers and the existence of more traditional patterns of EF (e.g., correlations between tasks, links to language) when using the same tasks in a novel Latin American sample. Eighty toddlers (18-24 months) and sixty young preschoolers (30-36) months completed a battery of EF tasks, early social communication, and receptive and expressive language measures. Results indicated that toddlers showed similar distinct patterns of development (i.e., few relations between tasks and links to responding to joint attention), but by early preschool a more cohesive EF and links to language were present. Further, work demonstrated significant age (older children outperformed younger children), gender (girls outperformed boys), and socioeconomic differences (satisfied basic needs outperformed unsatisfied basic needs, but only on the snack delay). This work provides evidence for patterns of emerging EF development within this novel cultural sample (and evidence for group differences) that may be supported by communicative and representational development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas G Gago Galvagno
- Facultad de Psicología y Relaciones Humanas, Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Cognición y Políticas Públicas, Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigaciones, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Stephanie E Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, USA
| | - Carolina De Grandis
- Facultad de Psicología y Relaciones Humanas, Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Cognición y Políticas Públicas, Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigaciones, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Angel M Elgier
- Facultad de Psicología y Relaciones Humanas, Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Cognición y Políticas Públicas, Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigaciones, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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14
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Langland-Hassan P. Inner speech. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020; 12:e1544. [PMID: 32949083 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Inner speech travels under many aliases: the inner voice, verbal thought, thinking in words, internal verbalization, "talking in your head," the "little voice in the head," and so on. It is both a familiar element of first-person experience and a psychological phenomenon whose complex cognitive components and distributed neural bases are increasingly well understood. There is evidence that inner speech plays a variety of cognitive roles, from enabling abstract thought, to supporting metacognition, memory, and executive function. One active area of controversy concerns the relation of inner speech to auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia, with a common proposal being that sufferers of AVH misidentify their own inner speech as being generated by someone else. Recently, researchers have used artificial intelligence to translate the neural and neuromuscular signatures of inner speech into corresponding outer speech signals, laying the groundwork for a variety of new applications and interventions. This article is categorized under: Philosophy > Foundations of Cognitive Science Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain Philosophy > Consciousness Philosophy > Psychological Capacities.
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Petrolini V, Jorba M, Vicente A. The Role of Inner Speech in Executive Functioning Tasks: Schizophrenia With Auditory Verbal Hallucinations and Autistic Spectrum Conditions as Case Studies. Front Psychol 2020; 11:572035. [PMID: 33041942 PMCID: PMC7527436 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Several theories propose that one of the core functions of inner speech (IS) is to support subjects in the completion of cognitively effortful tasks, especially those involving executive functions (EF). In this paper we focus on two populations who notoriously encounter difficulties in performing EF tasks, namely, people diagnosed with schizophrenia who experience auditory verbal hallucinations (Sz-AVH) and people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). We focus on these two populations because they represent two different ways in which IS can fail to help in EF tasks, which can be illustrative for other mental conditions. First, we review the main components of EF (see section "Executive Functions"). Then we explain the functions that IS is taken to perform in the domain of EF (see section "Inner Speech and Executive Functions") and review the evidence concerning problems about EF in the two populations of our study: Sz-AVH (see section "Executive Functions and Inner Speech in Sz-AVH") and ASC (see section "Executive Function and Inner Speech in ASC"). After this we further detail our account about what a properly functioning IS can do for both populations and how different IS profiles may impact EF performance: in the case of Sz-AVH, the uncontrolled and intrusive character of IS negatively affects EF performance, whereas in ASC, EF is not sufficiently supported by IS, given the tendency in this population to present a diminished use of IS (see section "IS in ASC and Sz-AVH: How It Relates to EF"). We finally briefly discuss Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) (see section "Further Considerations").
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Petrolini
- Centro de Investigación Micaela Portilla, Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Marta Jorba
- Centro de Investigación Micaela Portilla, Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Agustín Vicente
- Centro de Investigación Micaela Portilla, Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
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Panikratova YR, Vlasova RM, Akhutina TV, Tikhonov DV, Pluzhnikov IV, Kaleda VG. [Executive control of language production in schizophrenia: a pilot neuropsychological study]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2020; 120:14-22. [PMID: 32929919 DOI: 10.17116/jnevro202012008114] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To test the general hypothesis about executive deficits in language production in schizophrenia as well as more specific hypothesis that this deficit would be more pronounced in the case of higher demand on executive functions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-five patients with schizophrenia and twenty-seven healthy controls were asked to tell a story based on a series of pictures and then to give an oral composition on the given topic. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Schizophrenia patients, compared to controls, demonstrated poorer programming as well as shorter text and phrase length in both tasks. Oral composition on the given topic in patients was characterized by the presence of agrammatism, need for leading questions due to the difficulties of story plot generation as well as higher variance in syntactic complexity and text length. Therefore, the authors revealed executive deficit in language production, more pronounced in the task with less numerous external cues for planning and sequential text explication, in schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R M Vlasova
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - T V Akhutina
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - V G Kaleda
- Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russia
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17
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Buss AT, Nikam B. Not all labels develop equally: The role of labels in guiding attention to dimensions. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020; 53. [PMID: 32863570 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.100843] [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] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of cognitive flexibility is a central aspect of cognitive development during early childhood. Cognitive flexibility is often probed using verbal rules to instruct behavior. In this study, the types of labels that were provided during instruction were manipulated. In one condition, children were instructed in the standard manner with dimensional labels (e.g., "shape") and featural labels (e.g., "star"). In a second condition, children were provided only with dimensional labels. When switching to color, 4-year-olds performed equally well regardless of the type of instruction. However, when switching to shape, children perseverated at a significantly higher rate when only dimensional labels were provided. These results suggest that children's understanding of labels is a critical aspect of developing cognitive flexibility and that their understanding of the labels "shape" and "color" are different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron T Buss
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Psychology
| | - Bhoomika Nikam
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Department of Psychology
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18
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Kompa NA, Mueller JL. How Abstract (Non-embodied) Linguistic Representations Augment Cognitive Control. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1597. [PMID: 32760327 PMCID: PMC7374353 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent scholarship emphasizes the scaffolding role of language for cognition. Language, it is claimed, is a cognition-enhancing niche (Clark, 2006), a programming tool for cognition (Lupyan and Bergen, 2016), even neuroenhancement (Dove, 2019) and augments cognitive functions such as memory, categorization, cognitive control, and meta-cognitive abilities ("thinking about thinking"). Yet, the notion that language enhances or augments cognition, and in particular, cognitive control does not easily fit in with embodied approaches to language processing, or so we will argue. Accounts aiming to explain how language enhances various cognitive functions often employ a notion of abstract representation. Yet, embodied approaches to language processing have it that language processing crucially, according to some accounts even exclusively, involves embodied, modality-specific, i.e., non-abstract representations. In coming to understand a particular phrase or sentence, a prior experience has to be simulated or reenacted. The representation thus activated is embodied (modality-specific) as sensorimotor regions of the brain are thereby recruited. In this paper, we will first discuss the notion of representation, clarify what it takes for a representation to be embodied or abstract, and distinguish between conceptual and (other) linguistic representations. We will then put forward a characterization of cognitive control and examine its representational infrastructure. The remainder of the paper will be devoted to arguing that language augments cognitive control. To that end, we will draw on two lines of research, which investigate how language augments cognitive control: (i) research on the availability of linguistic labels and (ii) research on the active usage of a linguistic code, specifically, in inner speech. Eventually, we will argue that the cognition-enhancing capacity of language can be explained once we assume that it provides us with (a) abstract, non-embodied representations and with (b) abstract, sparse linguistic representations that may serve as easy-to-manipulate placeholders for fully embodied or otherwise more detailed representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola A Kompa
- Institute of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jutta L Mueller
- Psycho/Neurolinguistics Group, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.,Department of Linguistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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19
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Vissers CTWM, Tomas E, Law J. The Emergence of Inner Speech and Its Measurement in Atypically Developing Children. Front Psychol 2020; 11:279. [PMID: 32256423 PMCID: PMC7090223 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inner speech (IS), or the act of silently talking to yourself, occurs in humans regardless of their cultural and linguistic background, suggesting its key role in human cognition. The absence of overt articulation leads to methodological challenges to studying IS and its effects on cognitive processing. Investigating IS in children is particularly problematic due to cognitive demands of the behavioral tasks and age restrictions for collecting neurophysiological data [e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or electromyography (EMG)]; thus, the developmental aspects of IS remain poorly understood despite the long history of adult research. Studying developmental aspects of IS could shed light on the variability in types and amount of IS in adults. In addition, problems in mastering IS might account for neuropsychological deficits observed in children with neurodevelopmental conditions. For example, deviance in IS development might influence these children's general cognitive processing, including social cognition, executive functioning, and related social-emotional functioning. The aim of the present paper is to look at IS from a developmental perspective, exploring its theory and identifying experimental paradigms appropriate for preschool and early school-aged children in Anglophone and Russian literature. We choose these two languages because the original work carried out by Vygotsky on IS was published in Russian, and Russian scientists have continued to publish on this topic since his death. Since the 1960s, much of the experimental work in this area has been published in Anglophone journals. We discuss different measurements of IS phenomena, their informativeness about subtypes of IS, and their potential for studying atypical language development. Implications for assessing and stimulating IS in clinical populations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constance Th W M Vissers
- Royal Dutch Kentalis, Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands.,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Ekaterina Tomas
- National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - James Law
- School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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20
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Perspective‐shifting discourse training to improve young Japanese children's understanding of theory of mind. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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21
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Yıldız T. Human-Computer Interaction Problem in Learning: Could the Key Be Hidden Somewhere Between Social Interaction and Development of Tools? Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2020; 53:541-557. [PMID: 30826986 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-019-09484-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Homo sapiens is not just a tool-using species, they also can invent and develop tools. This is the feature that distinguishes humans from other species. It is necessary to get rid of the perceptual dominance of the present state of the material to invent and develop a tool. It is based on a mental process: designing. So how was that possible? In this article, I propose an evolutionary hypothesis in response to this question: the referential triangle. Accordingly, the relationship that people establish with things is mentally indirect, but the relationship they establish with each other is mentally direct. The hypothesis claims that the mental solutions of people have naturally established with each other are also used to invent and develop tools. The latest and most interesting product of this mechanism is artificial intelligence. Because artificial intelligence also acts as an inorganic system. What distinguishes it from other machines in this context is its social behavior. Artificial intelligence can generate social signals. So can artificial intelligence be both a tool and a partner at the same time in the referential triangle established with the tools by the human? In other words, can children, for instance, socially interact with artificial intelligence, just as they do naturally with people around? The article draws attention to that this problem should be included in the cultural psychological research agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tolga Yıldız
- Department of Psychology, Istanbul University, Laleli, 34134, Istanbul, Turkey.
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22
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The role of language in novel task learning. Cognition 2020; 194:104036. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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23
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Dimensional attention as a mechanism of executive function: Integrating flexibility, selectivity, and stability. Cognition 2019; 192:104003. [PMID: 31228681 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we present a neural process model that explains visual dimensional attention and changes in visual dimensional attention over development. The model is composed of an object representation system that binds visual features such as shape and color to spatial locations and a label learning system that associates labels such as "color" or "shape" with visual features. We have previously demonstrated that this model explains the development of flexible dimensional attention in a task that requires children to switch between shape and color rules for sorting cards. In the model, the development of flexible dimensional attention is a product of strengthening associations between labels and features. In this report, we generalize this model to also explain development of stable and selective dimensional attention. Specifically, we use the model to explain a previously reported developmental association between flexible dimensional attention and stable dimensional attention. Moreover, we generate predictions regarding developmental associations between flexible and selective dimensional attention. Results from an experiment with 3- and 4-year-olds supported model predictions: children who demonstrated flexibility also demonstrated higher levels of selectivity. Thus, the model provides a framework that integrates various functions of dimensional attention, including implicit and explicit functions, over development. This model also provides new avenues of research aimed at uncovering how cognitive functions such as dimensional attention emerge from the interaction between neural dynamics and task structure, as well as understanding how learning dimensional labels creates changes in dimensional attention, brain activation, and neural connectivity.
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24
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What do I do next? The influence of two self-cueing strategies on children’s engagement of proactive control. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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25
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The reliability and validity of Bayley-III cognitive scale in China's male and female children. Early Hum Dev 2019; 129:71-78. [PMID: 30711715 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since publication in 2006, the Bayley-III scale has been used widely in pediatric populations worldwide; however, there have been very few studies which examined the usefulness and the potential sex differences in a Chinese context. AIMS To assess the reliability and validity of the Bayley-III cognitive scale, and detect possible sex differences in term children so as to provide evidence for clinical and research use in China. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Of the 1589 children from 3 healthcare institutions that were initially recruited, a total of 1444 children were included in the final analysis. We randomly selected 5-10% children from the total sample to evaluate the test-retest, inter-rater and criteria-related reliability in order to meet the psychometric criteria of Bayley-III scale. Inter-item consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the scale were estimated using Split-half method and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The content validity was evaluated by the Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI). The Mann-Kendall trend test was performed to assess trends of cognitive development, and post-hos Least Significant Difference test was used to detect age-appropriateness of items. RESULTS Six developmental pediatricians were trained to administer the Bayley-III cognitive scale. Inter-item consistency (n = 1444) with Guttman split-half coefficient was above 0.8, while test-retest (n = 144) and inter-rater reliability (n = 74) had good to excellent ICCs of over 0.9. The criteria-related validity (n = 74) of Bayley-III was acceptable, and associations with Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) were mainly above 0.8. The raw score of Bayley-III scale in total subjects (n = 1444) showed an increased trend across all months of age (p < 0.05), and only the score in age group of 35M16D to 36M15D declined in females (p < 0.05, n = 722). Female children presented a higher score than male children in all subjects and in the 18-23 months age group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide important evidence that the Bayley-III cognitive scale is a valid measurement which could be used in Chinese population, as well as the consideration of sex differences when used in a Chinese context.
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26
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Brady RJ, Hampton RR. Nonverbal Working Memory for Novel Images in Rhesus Monkeys. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3903-3910.e3. [PMID: 30503618 PMCID: PMC6501570 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Human working memory is greatly facilitated by linguistic representations-for example, by verbal rehearsal and by verbal recoding of novel stimuli. The absence of language in nonhumans raises questions about the extent to which nonhuman working memory includes similar mechanisms. There is strong evidence for rehearsal-like active maintenance in working memory when monkeys are tested with highly familiar stimuli, but not when tested with novel stimuli, suggesting that working memory depends on the existence of previously encoded representations. This difference in working memory for familiar and novel images may exist because, lacking language, monkeys cannot recode novel stimuli in a way that permits active maintenance in working memory. Alternatively, working memory for novel images may have been present, but behaviorally silent, in earlier studies. In tests with novel images, the high familiarity of to-be-remembered stimuli compared to never-before-seen distractors may be such a strong determinant of recognition performance that evidence of working memory is obscured. In the current study, we developed a technique for attenuating the utility of relative familiarity as a mnemonic signal in recognition tests with novel stimuli. In tests with novel images, we observed impairments of memory by concurrent cognitive load and delay interval that indicate actively maintained working memory. This flexibility in monkey working memory suggests that monkeys may recode unfamiliar stimuli to facilitate working memory and establishes new parallels between verbal human working memory and nonverbal nonhuman primate working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Brady
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
| | - Robert R Hampton
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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Pezzica S, Vezzani C, Pinto G. Metacognitive knowledge of attention in children with and without ADHD symptoms. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 83:142-152. [PMID: 30205249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) experience difficulty in managing attention in school, but it is not sufficiently clear what their attentional beliefs are. Drawing is a means of expression that is habitually used to access knowledge or ideas of children regarding their classroom experience. The aim of this study is to verify whether children with ADHD use pictorial indicators analogous to children without ADHD (N-ADHD). 92 primary school students participated in this study, half of whom diagnosed with ADHD. Children were asked to produce two specific thematic drawings on attention vs. inattention; their pictorial representations were analyzed using the Children's Awareness of Attention through Drawing (CAAD). The analysis showed principally that children with ADHD have a metacognitive awareness of attention similar to N-ADHD except for a delay in acquisition of the correct posture, for less maturation in the management of school materials and greater expression of negative feelings over time. Children with ADHD are aware of what is required in the school context but they are not able to pursue it. Behavioral intervention and structured learning are two targets of intervention that can help children with ADHD to adapt and to stay at school.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pezzica
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, Complesso di San Salvi Padiglione 26, 50135 Florence, Italy.
| | - Claudio Vezzani
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, Complesso di San Salvi Padiglione 26, 50135 Florence, Italy.
| | - Giuliana Pinto
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, Complesso di San Salvi Padiglione 26, 50135 Florence, Italy.
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Two-year-olds' executive functioning: The influence of task-specific vocabulary knowledge. Infant Behav Dev 2018; 53:33-42. [PMID: 30268336 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Although many executive function (EF) tasks require only nonverbal responses, the language used by experimenters to explain the task may be important for young children's EF task performance. This study investigated how the vocabulary used in explaining an EF task affects 2-year-olds' performance. Experiment 1 used the standard instructions for the Reverse Categorization Task, in which children are asked to sort different-sized blocks into different-sized buckets according to one rule and then switch to a new rule. In Experiment 2, the task remained the same, but different instructions requiring less knowledge of size words were used. Children's productive vocabulary was assessed in both experiments but was only correlated with task performance in Experiment 1. These results suggest that task-specific vocabulary knowledge may play a role in children's performance on tasks designed to measure nonverbal cognitive ability.
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29
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Cognitive control and phonological awareness in the acquisition of second language vocabulary within the Spanish-English dual immersion context. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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30
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Kellogg RT, Evans L. The Ensemble Hypothesis of Human Cognitive Evolution. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-018-0159-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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31
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The role of cognitive flexibility in young children’s potential for learning under dynamic testing conditions. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10212-018-0379-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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32
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Role of Inner Speech on Serial Recall in Children with ASD: A Pilot Study Using the Luria Hand Test. AUTISM RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2018; 2018:6873412. [PMID: 29732224 PMCID: PMC5872676 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6873412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the relation between the effect of articulatory suppression on the serial recall and severity of social impairments among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Luria hand test (LHT) was administered to evaluate the capacity for serial recall in 13 children with ASD. The LHT was administered under three conditions: control, under articulatory suppression, and under spatial suppression. Performance on the LHT of children with ASD was significantly lower in terms of both articulatory suppression and the spatial suppression condition. Moreover, the severity of social impairment in children with ASD was related to individual differences of effects of articulatory suppression on the LHT, but not with effects of spatial suppression. These results support the notion that dialogic inner speech which mediates complex cognitive abilities has inherently social origins.
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Developing control over the execution of scripts: The role of maintained hierarchical goal representations. J Exp Child Psychol 2017; 163:87-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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34
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Glady Y, French RM, Thibaut JP. Children's Failure in Analogical Reasoning Tasks: A Problem of Focus of Attention and Information Integration? Front Psychol 2017; 8:707. [PMID: 28588516 PMCID: PMC5440766 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Children's improved performance with age in analogy tasks has been explained by an increase in semantic knowledge of the items and the relations between them or by the development of an increased ability to inhibit irrelevant information. We tested the so-called "unbalanced attentional focus hypothesis" that claims that a failure to choose the "analogical" match can be the result of a difficulty to focus on all the relevant information available. Previous eye-tracking research has suggested, in analogies of the A:B::C:D format, that 5-6 year-olds organize their search around the C item. They focused significantly less than adults on the A:B pair, thereby hindering their discovering the relation(s) between A and B. We hypothesized that inducing them to focus their attention on the A:B pair at the beginning of the trial would affect their performance. In Experiment 1, increasing children's focus on the A:B pair did, indeed, lead to better performance. In contrast, in Experiment 2, focusing their attention on the A:B pair impaired performance when the most salient relation holding between A and B was, in fact, irrelevant for the analogy. By contrast, the obvious-but-irrelevant relation in the A:B pair had no negative effect on performance when no explicit A:B focusing was induced. These results are discussed in terms of the temporal organization of the task and availability of information, and of children's difficulties to disengage from the main goal of the task, when necessary.
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Language facilitates introspection: Verbal mind-wandering has privileged access to consciousness. Conscious Cogn 2017; 49:86-97. [PMID: 28161598 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Introspection and language are the cognitive prides of humankind, but their interactions in healthy cognition remain unclear. Episodes of mind-wandering, where personal thoughts often go unnoticed for some time before being introspected, offer a unique opportunity to study the role of language in introspection. In this paper, we show that inner speech facilitates awareness of mind-wandering. In two experiments, we either interfered with verbal working memory, via articulatory suppression (Exp. 1), or entrained it, via presentation of verbal material (Exp. 2), and measured the resulting awareness of mind-wandering. Articulatory suppression decreased the likelihood to spontaneously notice mind-wandering, whereas verbal material increased retrospective awareness of mind-wandering. In addition, an ecological study using smartphones confirmed that inner speech vividness positively predicted mind-wandering awareness (Exp. 3). Together, these findings support the view that inner speech facilitates introspection of one's thoughts, and therefore provides empirical evidence for a positive relation between language and consciousness.
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Dryden A, Allen HA, Henshaw H, Heinrich A. The Association Between Cognitive Performance and Speech-in-Noise Perception for Adult Listeners: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. Trends Hear 2017; 21:2331216517744675. [PMID: 29237334 PMCID: PMC5734454 DOI: 10.1177/2331216517744675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Published studies assessing the association between cognitive performance and speech-in-noise (SiN) perception examine different aspects of each, test different listeners, and often report quite variable associations. By examining the published evidence base using a systematic approach, we aim to identify robust patterns across studies and highlight any remaining gaps in knowledge. We limit our assessment to adult unaided listeners with audiometric profiles ranging from normal hearing to moderate hearing loss. A total of 253 articles were independently assessed by two researchers, with 25 meeting the criteria for inclusion. Included articles assessed cognitive measures of attention, memory, executive function, IQ, and processing speed. SiN measures varied by target (phonemes or syllables, words, and sentences) and masker type (unmodulated noise, modulated noise, >2-talker babble, and ≤2-talker babble. The overall association between cognitive performance and SiN perception was r = .31. For component cognitive domains, the association with (pooled) SiN perception was as follows: processing speed ( r = .39), inhibitory control ( r = .34), working memory ( r = .28), episodic memory ( r = .26), and crystallized IQ ( r = .18). Similar associations were shown for the different speech target and masker types. This review suggests a general association of r≈.3 between cognitive performance and speech perception, although some variability in association appeared to exist depending on cognitive domain and SiN target or masker assessed. Where assessed, degree of unaided hearing loss did not play a major moderating role. We identify a number of cognitive performance and SiN perception combinations that have not been tested and whose future investigation would enable further fine-grained analyses of these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Dryden
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Helen Henshaw
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
- Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Antje Heinrich
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
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Connor CM, Day SL, Phillips B, Sparapani N, Ingebrand SW, McLean L, Barrus A, Kaschak MP. Reciprocal Effects of Self-Regulation, Semantic Knowledge, and Reading Comprehension in Early Elementary School. Child Dev 2016; 87:1813-1824. [PMID: 27264645 PMCID: PMC5138137 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Many assume that cognitive and linguistic processes, such as semantic knowledge (SK) and self-regulation (SR), subserve learned skills like reading. However, complex models of interacting and bootstrapping effects of SK, SR, instruction, and reading hypothesize reciprocal effects. Testing this "lattice" model with children (n = 852) followed from first to second grade (5.9-10.4 years of age) revealed reciprocal effects for reading and SR, and reading and SK, but not SR and SK. More effective literacy instruction reduced reading stability over time. Findings elucidate the synergistic and reciprocal effects of learning to read on other important linguistic, self-regulatory, and cognitive processes; the value of using complex models of development to inform intervention design; and how learned skills may influence development during middle childhood.
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Doebel S, Rowell SF, Koenig MA. Young Children Detect and Avoid Logically Inconsistent Sources: The Importance of Communicative Context and Executive Function. Child Dev 2016; 87:1956-1970. [PMID: 27317511 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The reported research tested the hypothesis that young children detect logical inconsistency in communicative contexts that support the evaluation of speakers' epistemic reliability. In two experiments (N = 194), 3- to 5-year-olds were presented with two speakers who expressed logically consistent or inconsistent claims. Three-year-olds failed to detect inconsistencies (Experiment 1), 4-year-olds detected inconsistencies when expressed by human speakers but not when read from books, and 5-year-olds detected inconsistencies in both contexts (Experiment 2). In both experiments, children demonstrated skepticism toward testimony from previously inconsistent sources. Executive function and working memory each predicted inconsistency detection. These findings indicate logical inconsistency understanding emerges in early childhood, is supported by social and domain general cognitive skills, and plays a role in adaptive learning from testimony.
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Abstract
Emerging executive function in childhood, one of the main predictors of major life success, is goal-directed in nature. Yet children’s ability to identify goals (i.e., what should be done) has been underresearched, often because of implicit assumptions that it is trivial even in early childhood. In contrast, I review evidence for goal identification as a major force behind developing executive function. Both increasing attention to environmental cues and increased goal inferencing from these cues drive goal-identification improvement with age. This framework has important implications for assessing and supporting executive function in childhood.
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40
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Alderson-Day B, Fernyhough C. Inner Speech: Development, Cognitive Functions, Phenomenology, and Neurobiology. Psychol Bull 2015; 141:931-65. [PMID: 26011789 PMCID: PMC4538954 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Inner speech-also known as covert speech or verbal thinking-has been implicated in theories of cognitive development, speech monitoring, executive function, and psychopathology. Despite a growing body of knowledge on its phenomenology, development, and function, approaches to the scientific study of inner speech have remained diffuse and largely unintegrated. This review examines prominent theoretical approaches to inner speech and methodological challenges in its study, before reviewing current evidence on inner speech in children and adults from both typical and atypical populations. We conclude by considering prospects for an integrated cognitive science of inner speech, and present a multicomponent model of the phenomenon informed by developmental, cognitive, and psycholinguistic considerations. Despite its variability among individuals and across the life span, inner speech appears to perform significant functions in human cognition, which in some cases reflect its developmental origins and its sharing of resources with other cognitive processes.
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41
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Chevalier N. The Development of Executive Function: Toward More Optimal Coordination of Control With Age. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Lingwood J, Blades M, Farran EK, Courbois Y, Matthews D. Encouraging 5-year olds to attend to landmarks: a way to improve children's wayfinding strategies in a virtual environment. Front Psychol 2015; 6:174. [PMID: 25814960 PMCID: PMC4357248 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wayfinding is defined as the ability to learn and remember a route through an environment. Previous researchers have shown that young children have difficulties remembering routes. However, very few researchers have considered how to improve young children's wayfinding abilities. Therefore, we investigated ways to help children increase their wayfinding skills. In two studies, a total of 72 5-year olds were shown a route in a six turn maze in a virtual environment and were then asked to retrace this route by themselves. A unique landmark was positioned at each junction and each junction was made up of two paths: a correct path and an incorrect path. Two different strategies improved route learning performance. In Experiment 1, verbally labeling on-route junction landmarks during the first walk reduced the number of errors and the number of trials to reach a learning criterion when the children retraced the route. In Experiment 2, encouraging children to attend to on-route junction landmarks on the first walk reduced the number of errors when the route was retraced. This was the first study to show that very young children can be taught route learning skills. The implications of our results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Lingwood
- Department of Psychology, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - Mark Blades
- Department of Psychology, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - Emily K. Farran
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of EducationLondon, UK
| | - Yannick Courbois
- Laboratoire PSITEC, EDL3, Department of Psychology, Université Lille Nord de FranceLille, France
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43
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Borovsky A, Sweeney K, Elman JL, Fernald A. Real-time interpretation of novel events across childhood. JOURNAL OF MEMORY AND LANGUAGE 2014; 73:1-14. [PMID: 24976677 PMCID: PMC4071296 DOI: 10.1016/j.jml.2014.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Despite extensive evidence that adults and children rapidly integrate world knowledge to generate expectancies for upcoming language, little work has explored how this knowledge is initially acquired and used. We explore this question in 3- to 10-year-old children and adults by measuring the degree to which sentences depicting recently learned connections between agents, actions and objects lead to anticipatory eye-movements to the objects. Combinatory information in sentences about agent and action elicited anticipatory eye-movements to the Target object in adults and older children. Our findings suggest that adults and school-aged children can quickly activate information about recently exposed novel event relationships in real-time language processing. However, there were important developmental differences in the use of this knowledge. Adults and school-aged children used the sentential agent and action to predict the sentence final theme, while preschool children's fixations reflected a simple association to the currently spoken item. We consider several reasons for this developmental difference and possible extensions of this paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kim Sweeney
- Center for Research in Language, University of California, San Diego, CA
| | - Jeffrey L. Elman
- Center for Research in Language, University of California, San Diego, CA
| | - Anne Fernald
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
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44
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Fedorenko E. The role of domain-general cognitive control in language comprehension. Front Psychol 2014; 5:335. [PMID: 24803909 PMCID: PMC4009428 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 03/31/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
What role does domain-general cognitive control play in understanding linguistic input? Although much evidence has suggested that domain-general cognitive control and working memory resources are sometimes recruited during language comprehension, many aspects of this relationship remain elusive. For example, how frequently do cognitive control mechanisms get engaged when we understand language? And is this engagement necessary for successful comprehension? I here (a) review recent brain imaging evidence for the neural separability of the brain regions that support high-level linguistic processing vs. those that support domain-general cognitive control abilities; (b) define the space of possibilities for the relationship between these sets of brain regions; and (c) review the available evidence that constrains these possibilities to some extent. I argue that we should stop asking whether domain-general cognitive control mechanisms play a role in language comprehension, and instead focus on characterizing the division of labor between the cognitive control brain regions and the more functionally specialized language regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelina Fedorenko
- Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General HospitalCharlestown, MA, USA
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45
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Fedorenko E, Thompson-Schill SL. Reworking the language network. Trends Cogn Sci 2014; 18:120-6. [PMID: 24440115 PMCID: PMC4091770 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 328] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Revised: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Prior investigations of functional specialization have focused on the response profiles of particular brain regions. Given the growing emphasis on regional covariation, we propose to reframe these questions in terms of brain 'networks' (collections of regions jointly engaged by some mental process). Despite the challenges that investigations of the language network face, a network approach may prove useful in understanding the cognitive architecture of language. We propose that a language network plausibly includes a functionally specialized 'core' (brain regions that coactivate with each other during language processing) and a domain-general 'periphery' (a set of brain regions that may coactivate with the language core regions at some times but with other specialized systems at other times, depending on task demands). Framing the debate around network properties such as this may prove to be a more fruitful way to advance our understanding of the neurobiology of language.
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46
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Chevalier N, Blaye A, Maintenant C. La représentation du but dans le contrôle exécutif chez l’enfant. PSYCHOLOGIE FRANCAISE 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.psfr.2013.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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47
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Fitzgibbon L, Cragg L, Carroll DJ. Primed to be inflexible: the influence of set size on cognitive flexibility during childhood. Front Psychol 2014; 5:101. [PMID: 24575074 PMCID: PMC3921553 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the hallmarks of human cognition is cognitive flexibility, the ability to adapt thoughts and behaviors according to changing task demands. Previous research has suggested that the number of different exemplars that must be processed within a task (the set size) can influence an individual's ability to switch flexibly between different tasks. This paper provides evidence that when tasks have a small set size, children's cognitive flexibility is impaired compared to when tasks have a large set size. This paper also offers insights into the mechanism by which this effect comes about. Understanding how set size interacts with task-switching informs the debate regarding the relative contributions of bottom-up priming and top-down control processes in the development of cognitive flexibility. We tested two accounts for the relationship between set size and cognitive flexibility: the (bottom-up) Stimulus-Task Priming account and the (top-down) Rule Representation account. Our findings offered support for the Stimulus-Task Priming account, but not for the Rule Representation account. They suggest that children are susceptible to bottom-up priming caused by stimulus repetition, and that this priming can impair their ability to switch between tasks. These findings make important theoretical and practical contributions to the executive function literature: theoretically, they show that the basic features of a task exert a significant influence on children's ability to flexibly shift between tasks through bottom-up priming effects. Practically, they suggest that children's cognitive flexibility may have been underestimated relative to adults', as paradigms used with children typically have a smaller set size than those used with adults. These findings also have applications in education, where they have the potential to inform teaching in key areas where cognitive flexibility is required, such as mathematics and literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Fitzgibbon
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
| | - Lucy Cragg
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Nottingham, UK
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48
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Kray J, Gaspard H, Karbach J, Blaye A. Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands. Front Psychol 2013; 4:940. [PMID: 24381566 PMCID: PMC3865368 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8–10 years) and older children (11–13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta Kray
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Hanna Gaspard
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Center for Educational Science and Psychology, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia Karbach
- Department of Psychology, Development of Language, Learning and Action, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany ; Educational Psychology, Saarland University Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Agnès Blaye
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
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49
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Nation K. Lexical learning and lexical processing in children with developmental language impairments. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 369:20120387. [PMID: 24324231 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lexical skills are a crucial component of language comprehension and production. This paper reviews evidence for lexical-level deficits in children and young people with developmental language impairment (LI). Across a range of tasks, LI is associated with reduced vocabulary knowledge in terms of both breadth and depth and difficulty with learning and retaining new words; evidence is emerging from on-line tasks to suggest that low levels of language skill are associated with differences in lexical competition in spoken word recognition. The role of lexical deficits in understanding the nature of LI is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Nation
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK
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50
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Chrysikou EG, Weber MJ, Thompson-Schill SL. A matched filter hypothesis for cognitive control. Neuropsychologia 2013; 62:341-355. [PMID: 24200920 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex exerts top-down influences on several aspects of higher-order cognition by functioning as a filtering mechanism that biases bottom-up sensory information toward a response that is optimal in context. However, research also indicates that not all aspects of complex cognition benefit from prefrontal regulation. Here we review and synthesize this research with an emphasis on the domains of learning and creative cognition, and outline how the appropriate level of cognitive control in a given situation can vary depending on the organism's goals and the characteristics of the given task. We offer a matched filter hypothesis for cognitive control, which proposes that the optimal level of cognitive control is task-dependent, with high levels of cognitive control best suited to tasks that are explicit, rule-based, verbal or abstract, and can be accomplished given the capacity limits of working memory and with low levels of cognitive control best suited to tasks that are implicit, reward-based, non-verbal or intuitive, and which can be accomplished irrespective of working memory limitations. Our approach promotes a view of cognitive control as a tool adapted to a subset of common challenges, rather than an all-purpose optimization system suited to every problem the organism might encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew J Weber
- Department of Psychology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania
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