Executive Functioning and External Symbols: The Role of Symbolic Understanding and Psychological Distancing

Bilingual children often show advanced executive functioning (EF) and false belief (FB) understanding compared to monolinguals. The latter has been attributed to their enhanced inhibitory control EF, although this has only been examined in a single study which did not confirm this hypothesis. The current study examined the relation of EF and language proficiency on FB reasoning in bilingual and monolingual preschoolers to answer two questions: (1) Are there differences in bilinguals’ and monolinguals’ FB, language proficiency, and EF? If so, (2) is there a differential role for language proficiency and EF in predicting FB reasoning in these two groups? Thirty-two Spanish–English bilinguals and 33 English monolinguals (three to five years old) were compared. While monolinguals outperformed bilinguals on language proficiency, after controlling for this, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on FB reasoning, and marginally on EF. General language ability was related to FB performance in both groups, while short-term memory and inhibitory control predicted FB only for monolinguals.

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The role of alexithymia in memory and executive functioning across the lifespan

Cognition & Emotion ◽

10.1080/02699931.2019.1659232 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anthony N. Correro II ◽

Elizabeth R. Paitel ◽

Steven J. Byers ◽

Kristy A. Nielson

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning

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SLEEP QUALITY AS A MECHANISM LINKING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2866 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S779-S779

Author(s):

Alycia N Bisson ◽

Margie E Lachman

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

The United States ◽

Physically Active ◽

Waking Up ◽

The Relationship ◽

Second Wave ◽

Moderating Role

Abstract Modifiable health behaviors, such as physical activity and sleep quality are important for cognition throughout life. A growing body of research also suggests that engaging in enough physical activity is important to sleeping well. One recent study found that sleep efficiency mediates the relationship between physical activity and cognition. It is still unknown whether other metrics of sleep quality are mediators. The present study tested mediation in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, we found that those who were more physically active fell asleep faster, and had better executive functioning. In addition, those who were more physically active reported waking up fewer times during the night, and had better executive functioning and self-rated memory. Discussion will focus on the moderating role of gender and distinctions between findings with different measures of sleep, physical activity, and cognition.

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A-166 The Role of Apathy on Executive Functioning After Stroke

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa068.166 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 960-960

Author(s):

Lopez A ◽

Lopez Palacios D ◽

Quintana A ◽

Gibson D ◽

Arguelles-Borge S

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Data Set ◽

Test Part ◽

Trail Making

Abstract Objective This study examined the role of apathy on performance of an executive functioning task. Method The data for this study was derived from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set containing neuropsychological information for stroke patients (n = 317) who completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) and the Trail Making Test (Part B). The sample was divided into two groups. One which endorsed feelings of apathy in the last month (n = 102; mean age = 84,SD = 8.33) and a second group which denied feelings of apathy within the last month (n = 215; mean age = 86, SD = 8.02). Results After controlling for depression [as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)], age, gender, and motor impairment, the results of an ANCOVA showed that those who reported apathy performed significantly slower on the Trail Making Test—Part B than those who did not report it [F(1,312 = 6.01, p = .02]. Conclusions It has previously been found that cognitive performance can be impacted by depression on stroke patients. However, recently, it has been identified that apathy specifically, can have an effect on cognitive domains such as verbal learning, short-term, and long-term memory. The present study further supports that apathy may play a role in overall cognitive performance. Therefore, even if patients do not meet criteria for depression, the presence of apathy should still be taken into account. Future research should examine other possible contributing factors such as processing speed should be taken into account as they could be affecting the scores. Finally, researchers should utilize additional measures of executive functioning as only one was available for this study.

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