Time-Based Measures of Monitoring in Association With Executive Functions in Kindergarten Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 228 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Kälin ◽  
Claudia M. Roebers
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Metacognitive Monitoring

Abstract. Repeatedly, the notion has been put forward that metacognition (MC) and executive functions (EF) share common grounds, as both describe higher order cognitive processes and involve monitoring. However, only few studies addressed this issue empirically and so far their findings are rather inconsistent. Addressing the question whether measurement differences may in part be responsible for the mixed results, the current study included explicitly reported as well as time-based measures of metacognitive monitoring and related them to EF. A total of 202 children aged 4–6 years were assessed in terms of EF (inhibition, working memory, shifting) and monitoring. While there was no significant link between explicitly reported confidence and EF, latencies of monitoring judgments were significantly related to time- and accuracy-based measures of EF. Our findings support the association between EF and MC and the assumption that better inhibition abilities help children to engage in more thorough monitoring.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Cannabis Use in Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Frolli ◽  
Maria Carla Ricci ◽  
Antonella Cavallaro ◽  
Agnese Lombardi ◽  
Grazia Maria Giovanna Pastorino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Developmental Phase ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Group 1

The developmental phase of adolescence is characterized by a multitude of neurocognitive and psychosocial changes and is therefore considered one of the most critical developmental periods of life. Experimentation on the use of substances often begins in adolescence and so does the addiction process. Most research in human subjects shows that chronic cannabis abuse is the cause of the impairment of some cognitive functions, affecting the performance on divided attention, verbal memory and working memory. In this study, we wanted to investigate how the abuse of cannabis (chronic, occasional and absence use) can influence global cognitive functioning, also through executive functions. From the statistical analyzes of our study, it emerges that the group of subjects who use chronic cannabis (group 1) has a significant drop in working memory tasks compared to the group that does not use it (group 3). In addition, the goal of future studies by our group is to verify the permanent alteration of cognitive processes affected through revaluations with calendar follow-up (controlled).

Relating mindfulness and executive function in children

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena M C Geronimi ◽  
Brenda Arellano ◽  
Janet Woodruff-Borden
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Executive

Despite the important role of cognitions in mindful awareness, research on the cognitive processes underlying mindfulness in young populations is scarce. This study explores the association between the core executive functions (i.e. inhibition, working memory, and shifting) and mindfulness within the same model in a sample of children. Seventy-two parent–child dyads participated in the study. Difficulties with executive functioning and child mindfulness level were assessed. Inhibition, working memory, and shifting were significantly correlated with mindfulness. Furthermore, moderate to good fit was found in a model testing the association between mindfulness and the latent executive function variable composed by the three executive functions, and individual executive functions demonstrated significant loadings in relation to the latent variable. In a model relating mindfulness to each individual executive function, mindfulness was uniquely associated with inhibition, working memory, and shifting. The application of current theoretical models of mindfulness to child populations and clinical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Processing Speed, Working Memory, and Executive Functions: Independent or inter-related predictors of general intelligence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gidon T. Frischkorn ◽  
Anna-Lena Schubert ◽  
Dirk Hagemann
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Order Processing ◽  
Executive Processing ◽  
Processing Demands

Both working memory capacity (WMC) and processing speed (PS) have been discussed as important covariates of individual differences in intelligence. Recent results indicated that especially latencies of ERP components associated with higher-order processing (P2, N2, and P3) may share up to 80% of variance with individual differences in intelligence. WMC has a similar predictive power and thus these two processes cannot explain individual differences in intelligence independently. The current study explores in how far individual differences in executive functions (EFs) may bridge the gap between WMC and PS as predictors of intelligence. We recruited 101 participants who completed three EF tasks – one for each of the three executive functions shifting, updating, and inhibition. Additionally, we assessed participants’ intelligence, WMC, and PS. Results showed that only variance of behavioral RTs consistent across manipulations in the EF tasks was related to WMC, PS, and intelligence. The variance specific to the manipulations in EF tasks was small and showed no consistent correlations with each other or with any of the three covariates. These results suggest that EF tasks capture mostly manipulation-unspecific cognitive processes. Hence, individual differences in the impairment due to additional executive processing demands cannot explain why WMC and PS are related predictors of individual differences in intelligence.

scholarly journals An 8-Layer Model for Metacognitive Skills in Kindergarten

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Athanasios Drigas ◽  
Athanasios Drigas ◽  
Georgia Kokkalia ◽  
Alexandra Economou
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Metacognitive Skills ◽  
Layer Model ◽  
Gradual Development

In recent years, more and more researchers have been investigating cognitive and metacognitive skills that seem to be related to the improvement of the performance of kindergarten children. In this paper, we present the cognitive processes that are related to it, such as working memory, attention, inhibitory control, executive function, and processing speed. In addition, we refer to metacognitive skills and their role in controlling and regulating cognitive processes in order to improve children’s performance. Finally, we present a new taxonomy of skills, the pyramid of 8 levels, as well as their gradual development through the appropriate cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms. In this study, a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach is attempted by collecting and utilizing data from sciences such as cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and philosophy. The research has led us to the 8 layers that underpin metacognition in preschoolers following the model of the hierarchical organization of knowledge.

Differential Effects of Executive Processes on Working Memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-249
Author(s):  
Xuezhu Ren ◽  
Tengfei Wang ◽  
Karl Schweizer ◽  
Jing Guo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Prepotent Response ◽  
Two Measures

Abstract. Although attention control accounts for a unique portion of the variance in working memory capacity (WMC), the way in which attention control contributes to WMC has not been thoroughly specified. The current work focused on fractionating attention control into distinctly different executive processes and examined to what extent key processes of attention control including updating, shifting, and prepotent response inhibition were related to WMC and whether these relations were different. A number of 216 university students completed experimental tasks of attention control and two measures of WMC. Latent variable analyses were employed for separating and modeling each process and their effects on WMC. The results showed that both the accuracy of updating and shifting were substantially related to WMC while the link from the accuracy of inhibition to WMC was insignificant; on the other hand, only the speed of shifting had a moderate effect on WMC while neither the speed of updating nor the speed of inhibition showed significant effect on WMC. The results suggest that these key processes of attention control exhibit differential effects on individual differences in WMC. The approach that combined experimental manipulations and statistical modeling constitutes a promising way of investigating cognitive processes.

Executive Functions and Metacognitive Monitoring Are Not Interchangeable in Educational Settings: Their Shared and Unique Contribution to Academic Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina PY Lai ◽  
Michelle Renee Ellefson ◽  
Claire Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Metacognitive Monitoring ◽  
Cognitive Predictors ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Latent Variable Approach

Executive functions and metacognition are two cognitive predictors with well-established connections to academic performance. Despite sharing several theoretical characteristics, their overlap or independence concerning multiple academic outcomes remain under-researched. To address this gap, the present study applies a latent-variable approach to test a novel theoretical model that delineates the structural link between executive functions, metacognition, and academic outcomes. In whole-class sessions, 469 children aged 9 to 14 years (M = 11.93; SD = 0.92) completed four computerized executive function tasks (inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and planning), a self-reported metacognitive monitoring questionnaire, and three standardized tests of academic ability. The results suggest that executive functions and metacognitive monitoring are not interchangeable in the educational context and that they have both shared and unique contributions to diverse academic outcomes. The findings are important for elucidating the role between two domain-general cognitive skills (executive functions and metacognition) and domain-specific academic skills.

Automatic and Strategic Processes in Advertising Effects

1996 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus G. Grunert
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Automatic Processes ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Product Involvement ◽  
High Involvement ◽  
Capacity Limitations ◽  
Brand Evaluation ◽  
Advertising Effects ◽  
Strategic Processes

The author distinguishes two kinds of cognitive processes: automatic processes, which are mostly subconscious, are learned and changed slowly and are not subject to the capacity limitations of working memory, and strategic processes, which are conscious, are subject to capacity limitations, and can easily be adapted to situational circumstances. The perception of advertising and the way it influences brand evaluation involves both processes. Automatic processes govern the recognition of advertising stimuli, the relevance decision that determines further higher-level processing, the retrieval of information, and the provision of a heuristic for brand evaluation. Strategic processes govern learning and inference formation. The relative importance of both types of processes depends on product involvement. The distinction of these two types of processes leads to some conclusions that are at variance with current notions about advertising effects. For example, the attention span problem is relevant only for strategic processes. A certain amount of learning can occur with little conscious effort, and advertising's effect on brand evaluation may be more stable for low- than for high-involvement products.

scholarly journals Task Monitoring and Working Memory as Executive Components Predictive of General and Specific Academic Achievements in 6–9-Year-Old Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6681
Author(s):  
Alberto Quílez-Robres ◽  
Nieves Moyano ◽  
Alejandra Cortés-Pascual
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Academic Achievements ◽  
Predictive Role ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship

Academic achievement has been linked to executive functions. However, it is necessary to clarify the different predictive role that executive functions have on general and specific academic achievement and to determine the most predictive executive factor of this academic achievement. The relationship and predictive role between executive functions and their components (initiative, working memory, task monitoring, organization of materials, flexibility, emotional control, inhibition, self-monitoring) with academic achievement are analyzed in this study, both globally and specifically in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics, in 133 students from 6 to 9 years of age. The relationship obtained in Pearson’s correlation analysis does not differ substantially between overall achievement (r = 0.392) and specific achievement (r = 0.361, r = 0.361), but task monitoring (r = 0.531, r = 0.455, r = 0.446) and working memory (r = 0.512, r = 0.475, r = 0.505) had a greater relationship with general and specific achievement. Finally, regression analyses based on correlation results indicate that executive functions predict general academic performance (14.7%) and specific performance (12.3%, 12.2%) for Language Arts and Mathematics, respectively. Furthermore, working memory and task supervision represent 32.5% of general academic performance, 25.5% of performance in Language Arts, and 27.1% of performance in Mathematics. In conclusion, this study yielded exploratory data on the possible executive functions (task supervision and working memory) responsible for good general academic achievements and specific academic achievements in Mathematics and Language Arts.

scholarly journals Experiential and Strategic Emotional Intelligence Are Implicated When Inhibiting Affective and Non-Affective Distractors: Findings from Three Emotional Flanker N-Back Tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Ming D. Lim ◽  
Damian P. Birney
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Affective Information ◽  
Accuracy Rates

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a set of competencies to process, understand, and reason with affective information. Recent studies suggest ability measures of experiential and strategic EI differentially predict performance on non-emotional and emotionally laden tasks. To explore cognitive processes underlying these abilities further, we varied the affective context of a traditional letter-based n-back working-memory task. In study 1, participants completed 0-, 2-, and 3-back tasks with flanking distractors that were either emotional (fearful or happy faces) or non-emotional (shapes or letters stimuli). Strategic EI, but not experiential EI, significantly influenced participants’ accuracy across all n-back levels, irrespective of flanker type. In Study 2, participants completed 1-, 2-, and 3-back levels. Experiential EI was positively associated with response times for emotional flankers at the 1-back level but not other levels or flanker types, suggesting those higher in experiential EI reacted slower on low-load trials with affective context. In Study 3, flankers were asynchronously presented either 300 ms or 1000 ms before probes. Results mirrored Study 1 for accuracy rates and Study 2 for response times. Our findings (a) provide experimental evidence for the distinctness of experiential and strategic EI and (b) suggest that each are related to different aspects of cognitive processes underlying working memory.

Development of a Program based on Goal Management Training for Adolescents with Executive Dysfunctions Complaints

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Garcia Nunes ◽  
Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Execution Time ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Goal Management ◽  
Executive Dysfunctions ◽  
Goal Management Training

Abstract This study aimed to develop a program based on Goal Management Training (GMT) and to investigate its effectiveness on executive functions, through formal instruments and an ecological task. Participants were 25 adolescents with complaints of executive dysfunctions. They underwent neuropsychological assessment of working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, planning, and intellectual ability. Participants also took part in a cooking activity and were evaluated for errors per action, of omission, activity performance time, recipe consultation. After, they were randomly allocated to an active control group (CG), which underwent psychoeducation sessions, and an experimental group (EG), stimulated through GMT in eight sessions. Then participants underwent another assessment and follow-up after 4 weeks. In post-intervention analyses, results showed an improvement in executive functions in EG, in the working memory measurement and time of the ecological activity (g = 1.78 and .93, respectively), IQ (g = −1.01), reasoning (g = −.89), flexibility (g = −1.21), and inhibition (g = −3.11). In follow-up evaluation, large-size effects were observed on flexibility (g = −2.95), inhibition (g = −5.78) and execution time of the ecological activity (g = .98). Significant interactions between assessment Time x Group revealed EG gains in IQ, scores in reasoning and flexibility. EG also had longer execution time in flexibility and inhibition tests. That is, EG had greater scores and probably was less impulsive in these tests. Furthermore, EG decreased the number of verifications and the time in the ecological task, that is, had a more efficient performance. Results suggest the intervention can be as instrument to promote executive function.

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