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Buhrs S, van Amelsvoort T, Strik J, Roggeveen S, Lousberg R. The relationship between the use of Touch Screen Devices and interference suppression in children aged 5-11. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2024; 13:402-412. [PMID: 37141136 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2023.2208700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation between the use of Touch Screen Devices (TSDs), such as smartphones and tablets, and interference suppression as assessed by the Bivalent Shape Task (BST) in 5-11-year-old children. METHODS Thirty-eight children from a Dutch primary school were included. Interference suppression was measured in the incongruent level of the BST. TSD use was measured by a standardized interview. The dataset was analyzed using multilevel analysis because of its nested structure. RESULTS Children with moderate to high TSD use showed a longer reaction time (RT) as age progresses in the incongruent level (T = 2.40, p = .017), compared to children with no to low TSD use. Furthermore, an interaction between TSD use, age, gender, and the incongruent level demonstrated an increased RT in boys with moderate to high TSD use compared to boys with no to low TSD use as age increases (T = -2.23, p = .026). CONCLUSION The RT in response of interfering stimuli seems to be negatively influenced by TSD use as age progresses in children aged 5-11. Moreover, a gender-specific effect could be observed. Given the potential impact of these findings, more research would be helpful to further explore causal mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Buhrs
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Thérèse van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline Strik
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Richel Lousberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Buhrs S, van Amelsvoort T, Strik J, Prudon S, Lousberg R. The Bivalent Shape Task in a Dutch primary school population: A pilot study for a first psychometric assessment. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. CHILD 2024; 13:126-136. [PMID: 36345054 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2022.2140049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Bivalent Shape Task (BST) tests the ability to suppress interfering information. The purpose of this study was to assess some psychometric properties of the BST in 5-11-year-old children, using multilevel analysis. METHODS The present study was initiated in a Dutch primary school in October 2019. The BST was administered as part of a larger neuropsychological assessment. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequential lockdown in the Netherlands led to a premature termination of the study in March 2020. Data of 38 children were available. This dataset was analyzed and labeled as pilot. RESULTS Significant main effects of age, time components, levels, correct answer, and several interactions were found on the reaction time in the predicted direction. Random effects could also be modeled. A final statistical combination model is described. CONCLUSION Despite the small study sample, it seems to be justified to conclude that the BST is a potentially valuable instrument to test interference suppression in 5-11-year-old children. In the analysis of the BST, multilevel analysis has proven to be very rewarding. Since the present study only examined a small part of reliability and validity aspects, further psychometric research is desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Buhrs
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Thérèse van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline Strik
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Prudon
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Richel Lousberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Shaharban N, Rangaiah B, Thirumeni D. Executive control functions and theory of mind among plurilingual adults. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2119989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N.V. Shaharban
- Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - B. Rangaiah
- Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - D. Thirumeni
- Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
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Czapka S, Schwieter JW, Festman J. The influence of peripheral emotions on inhibitory control among children. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 223:103507. [PMID: 35051843 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the cognitive-emotional interplay by measuring the effects of executive competition (Pessoa, 2013), i.e., how inhibitory control is influenced when emotional information is encountered. Sixty-three children (8 to 9 years of age) participated in an inhibition task (central task) accompanied by happy, sad, or neutral emoticons (displayed in the periphery). Typical interference effects were found in the main task for speed and accuracy, but in general, these effects were not additionally modulated by the peripheral emoticons indicating that processing of the main task exhausted the limited capacity such that interference from the task-irrelevant, peripheral information did not show (Pessoa, 2013). Further analyses revealed that the magnitude of interference effects depended on the order of congruency conditions: when incongruent conditions preceded congruent ones, there was greater interference. This effect was smaller in sad conditions, and particularly so at the beginning of the experiment. These findings suggest that the bottom-up perception of task-irrelevant emotional information influenced the top-down process of inhibitory control among children in the sad condition when processing demands were particularly high. We discuss if the salience and valence of the emotional stimuli as well as task demands are the decisive characteristics that modulate the strength of this relation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Czapka
- Leibniz-Centre General Linguistic, Berlin, Germany; Diversity and Inclusion Research Group University of Potsdam, Germany
| | - John W Schwieter
- Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, & Cognition Lab/Bilingualism Matters@Laurier, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Julia Festman
- Multilingualism Research Team, Institute for Research and Development (IFE), University College of Teacher Education, Tyrol, Austria; Diversity and Inclusion Research Group University of Potsdam, Germany.
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Czapka S, Festman J. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test reveals a monitoring advantage but not a switching advantage in multilingual children. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 204:105038. [PMID: 33445105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105038] [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: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is used to test higher-level executive functions or switching, depending on the measures chosen in a study and its goal. Many measures can be extracted from the WCST, but how to assign them to specific cognitive skills remains unclear. Thus, the current study first aimed at identifying which measures test the same cognitive abilities. Second, we compared the performance of mono- and multilingual children in the identified abilities because there is some evidence that bilingualism can improve executive functions. We tested 66 monolingual and 56 multilingual (i.e., bi- and trilingual) primary school children (Mage = 109 months) in an online version of the classic WCST. A principal component analysis revealed four factors: problem-solving, monitoring, efficient errors, and perseverations. Because the assignment of measures to factors is only partially coherent across the literature, we identified this as one of the sources of task impurity. In the second part, we calculated regression analyses to test for group differences while controlling for intelligence as a predictor for executive functions and for confounding variables such as age, German lexicon size, and socioeconomic status. Intelligence predicted problem-solving and perseverations. In the monitoring component (measured by the reaction times preceding a rule switch), multilinguals outperformed monolinguals, thereby supporting the view that bi- or multilingualism can improve processing speed related to monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Czapka
- Human Sciences Faculty, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Julia Festman
- Human Sciences Faculty, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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The influence of first language spelling and response inhibition skills on English-as-an-additional-language spelling. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Palombo AL, Cuadro A. The incidence of visual-motor processes in the acquisition of orthographic representations in Spanish-speaking schoolchildren ( La incidencia de los procesos perceptivo-motrices en la adquisición de las representaciones ortográficas en escolares hispanoparlante). STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/02109395.2020.1794718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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Effects of computerized grapho-phonological training on literacy acquisition and vocabulary knowledge in children with an immigrant background learning German as L2. JOURNAL OF CULTURAL COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41809-020-00064-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAs a consequence of globalization and migration, the number of children receiving literacy instruction in their second language (L2) is high and still increasing. Therefore, teachers need instruction methods that are effective in both L1 and L2 learners. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of a computerized training program combining phoneme perception, phonological awareness, and systematic phonics, in a sample of second-graders (N = 26) instructed in German as L2. Based on prior evidence concerning (1) literacy acquisition in L2 and (2) effects of literacy development on oral language abilities, we expected significant training effects on children’s literacy skills and vocabulary knowledge. The children of the training group worked through the program during school lessons, 20 min per day, for a period of 8 weeks. The controls continued to receive standard classroom instruction. German tests of phonological awareness, reading, spelling, and vocabulary were performed at three time points (pretest, immediate posttest, and follow-up after 9 weeks). Analyses confirmed that improvements in phonological awareness, spelling, and vocabulary between pretest and posttest were stronger in the training group when compared to the controls. For spelling and vocabulary, these effects were still significant at follow-up. Effect sizes were medium to high. For the reading measures, no group differences were found. In sum, the results yield further evidence for the effectiveness of phonics-based literacy instruction in L2 learners, and for the beneficial effects of basic literacy skills on novel word learning.
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Mukhopadhyay P, Bhattacharya L, Roy PK, Misra Chatterjee S, Mukherjee S, Santra M. Development of a Battery to Assess Perceptual-Motor, Cognition, Language, and Scholastic Skills among Bengali Children with Neuro Developmental Disorders. Indian J Psychol Med 2020; 42:238-249. [PMID: 32612328 PMCID: PMC7320737 DOI: 10.4103/ijpsym.ijpsym_198_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND School failure or poor academic performance is often found in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD); however, there is a dearth of a comprehensive assessment tool to evaluate various underlying deficits, including perceptual-motor, cognitive, language, and scholastic skills of those who have NDD. The study aimed to develop a test to fill-up this gap. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study followed three phases: the construction of an assessment battery in both Bengali and English languages, separately, incorporating tasks on perceptual-motor, cognitive, language, and scholastic skills; doing a pilot study, and finally, standardization. Standardization was done on 91 normal children (NC) aged 4.5 to 9.5 years, from four districts of West Bengal. The test was applied to 57 children with poor school performance across various NDD, including specific learning disorder, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and communication disorder. Binet Kamat Test (BKT) of intelligence, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) Index for specific learning disability (SLD), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Conner's Abbreviated Rating Scale- Parent Report, Linguistic Profile Test, and Test of Pragmatic Language were used as screening tools to identify children with various NDD. The psychometric properties of the tool were assessed. RESULTS The factor analysis suggested four-factor solution named scholastic-cognitive-motor, attention, auditory-verbal, and perceptual skill. The internal consistency of the test was found to be higher (Cronbach's α >0.70 for most tests), indicating high reliability. Discriminant validity revealed significant score differences between NC and children with NDD (P <.01), suggesting that the new tool can differentiate children with NDD from healthy NC. CONCLUSION The results favor the new tool as a psychometrically strong tool to assess the scholastic backwardness of children with NDD. It may be further used to create specific profiles for different categories of NDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritha Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta, UCSTA, 92 APC Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Lipika Bhattacharya
- Consultant Special Educator, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, 58 Canal Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Prasanta K Roy
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, 7 D. L. Khan Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Somenath Mukherjee
- Speech and Language Pathologist, Speech Plus, 69/T3 Prince Baktiar Shah Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Mainak Santra
- Speech and Language Pathologist, Speech Plus, 69/T3 Prince Baktiar Shah Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Poarch GJ, Krott A. A Bilingual Advantage? An Appeal for a Change in Perspective and Recommendations for Future Research. Behav Sci (Basel) 2019; 9:E95. [PMID: 31487900 PMCID: PMC6769592 DOI: 10.3390/bs9090095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The debate on possible cognitive advantages bilinguals have over monolinguals continues to occupy the research community. There is an ever-growing research body focusing on adjudicating whether there is, in fact, an effect of using two or more languages regularly on cognition. In this paper, we briefly review some of the more pertinent literature that has attempted to identify attenuating, modulating, and confounding factors in research comparing monolingual and bilingual populations, and we highlight issues that should be taken into account in future research to move forward as a research community. At the same time, we argue for a change in perspective concerning what is deemed an advantage and what is not and argue for more ecologically valid research that investigates real-life advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Poarch
- English Department, University of Münster, 48143 Münster, Germany.
| | - Andrea Krott
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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Self-Concepts in Reading and Spelling among Mono- and Multilingual Children: Extending the Bilingual Advantage. Behav Sci (Basel) 2019; 9:bs9040039. [PMID: 31013920 PMCID: PMC6523248 DOI: 10.3390/bs9040039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive representations and beliefs are what comprise an individual's self-concept. A positive self-concept is related to and influences academic achievement, and the relationship between a domain-specific self-concept and achievement in the same domain is positive and strong. However, insufficient attention has been paid to these issues among multilingual children. More importantly, since instruction strongly contributes to the development of metacognition and executive functions (EFs), and since the bilingual advantage hypothesis holds that the constant management of multiple languages entails benefits for EF, we bring together these important issues in the present study. We examine the relationship between domain-specific self-concepts and standardized assessment of reading and spelling competences against the background of potential differences in self-concept between monolingual and multilingual German children. While between-group comparisons revealed no significant differences for self-concept nor reading competency, monolinguals outperformed multilinguals in spelling. Correlations between domain-specific self-concepts and academic achievement in reading comprehension, reading fluency, and spelling were positive and significant for both groups. Regardless of language background, children's evaluations of their academic achievement (reading and spelling) were realistic. We argue, on a theoretical basis, that metacognition and EFs could facilitate a bilingual advantage and improve educational outcomes.
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