scholarly journals Executive Functions and Their Relationship with the Development of Russian Speech in Bilingual and Monolingual Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-425
Author(s):  
Vera Yu. Khotinets ◽  
Sofya A. Salnova
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Language Version ◽  
Udmurt Republic

The article discusses the results of a study of the relationship between executive functions (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working (speech and visual) memory and the development of Russian speech in children with natural bilingualism and monolinguals in older preschool age. The study involved 63 preschool children (50.8% - boys) aged from 5.6 to 7.3 years (M = 6.42, Med = 6.4) from preschool institutions of Izhevsk (Udmurt Republic). The sample included 31 children with natural bilingualism (Udmurt/Russian language) and 32 monolinguals (Russian language). Standardised methods in the Russian-language version were used to identify the executive functions: the method of verbal-colour interference of by J. Stroop (inhibitory control), the method of studying the learning ability by A.Y. Ivanova (cognitive flexibility) and the test tasks Speech Memory and Visual Memory (working memory). The level of speech development was measured using the test tasks Speech Antonyms, Speech Classifications and Arbitrary Mastery of Speech developed by L.А. Yasyukova. The following mathematical statistics methods were used: descriptive statistics, Mann - Whitney U-test and Spearman rank correlations. According to the results of the study, the facts of the advantages of bilingualism in older preschool age in executive functions, in particular, in inhibitory control cognitive flexibility and speech memory were confirmed. At the same time, no general patterns were determined in the development of Russian speech (L2) in connection with the development of the executive functions of bilingual children: this is explained by the individualisation of the processes of linking the components of speech activity in the second language and cognitive control. In monolingual preschoolers, the speech development in their native language (L1) is associated with the formation of higher mental (executive) functions and the development of the ability to control information processing.

scholarly journals Allostatic load and executive functions in overweight adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonatan Ottino-González ◽  
María Ángeles Jurado ◽  
Isabel García-García ◽  
Xavier Caldú ◽  
Xavier Prats-Soteras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Core Executive ◽  
Load Increase ◽  
Overweight Group ◽  
Neuroendocrine Responses

Background/objective: Overweight is linked to inflammatory and neuroendocrine responses potentially prompting deregulations in biological systems harmful to the brain, particularly to the prefrontal cortex. This structure is crucial for executive performance, ultimately supervising behaviour. Thus, in the present work, we aimed to test the relationship between allostatic load increase, a surrogate of chronic physiological stress, and core executive functions, such as cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory. Method: Forty-seven healthy-weight and 56 overweight volunteers aged from 21 to 40 underwent medical and neuropsychological examination. Results: Overweight subjects exhibited a greater allostatic load index than healthy-weight individuals. Moreover, the allostatic load index was negatively related to inhibitory control. When separated, the link between allostatic load index and cognitive flexibility was more marked in the overweight group. Conclusions: An overweight status was linked to chronic physiological stress. The inverse relationship between the allostatic load index and cognitive flexibility proved stronger in this group. Set-shifting alterations could sustain rigid-like behaviours and attitudes towards food.

scholarly journals Linking inhibitory control to math achievement via comparison of conflicting decimal numbers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linsah Coulanges ◽  
Roberto A. Abreu-Mendoza ◽  
Sashank Varma ◽  
Melina Uncapher ◽  
Adam Gazzaley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Whole Number ◽  
Calculation Skills ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Number Knowledge

The relationship between executive functions (EF) and academic achievement is well-established, but leveraging this insight to improve educational outcomes remains elusive. Here, we propose a framework for relating the role of specific EF on specific precursor skills that support later academic learning. Specifically, we hypothesize that executive functions contribute to general math skills both directly – supporting the online execution of problem solving strategies – and indirectly – supporting the acquisition of precursor mathematical content. We test this hypothesis by examining the contribution of inhibitory control on processing rational numbers pairs which conflict with individual’s prior whole number knowledge and on general math knowledge. In 97 college students (79 female, age = 20.63 years), we collected three measures of EF: working memory (backwards spatial span), inhibition (color-word Stroop) and cognitive flexibility (task switching), and timed and untimed standardized measures of math achievement. Our target precursor skill was a decimals comparison task where correct responses were inconsistent with prior whole number knowledge (e.g. 0.27 vs. 0.9). Participants performed worse on these trials relative to the consistent decimals pairs (e.g. 0.2 vs. 0.87). Individual differences on incongruent Stroop trials predicted performance on inconsistent decimal comparisons, which in turn predicted performance on both timed and untimed measures of math achievement. With respect to relating inhibitory control to math achievement, incongruent Stroop performance was an independent predictor of untimed calculation skills after accounting for age, working memory and cognitive flexibility. Finally, we found that inconsistent decimals performance partially mediated the relationship between inhibition and untimed math achievement, consistent with the hypothesis that mathematical precursor skills can explain the relationships between executive functions and academic outcomes, making them promising targets for intervention.

Investigating executive functions in youth with OCD and hoarding symptoms

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-357
Author(s):  
Melissa Elgie ◽  
Duncan H. Cameron ◽  
Karen Rowa ◽  
Geoffrey B. Hall ◽  
Randi E. McCabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Primary Diagnosis ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

Executive functions (EF) deficits are hypothesized to be a core contributor to hoarding symptoms. EF have been studied in adult hoarding populations, but studies in youth are lacking. The current study compared multiple EF subdomains between youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and youth with OCD and hoarding symptoms. Forty youth (8–18 years old) with a primary diagnosis of OCD were recruited. Participants were divided by hoarding severity on the Child Saving Inventory (CSI) into either the “hoarding group” (upper 33.3%) or the “low-hoarding group” (lower 66.7%). Groups were compared on EF tasks of cognitive flexibility, decision-making, and inhibitory control. Youth in the hoarding group exhibited significantly higher cognitive flexibility and lowered perseveration than the low-hoarding group. Hoarding and low-hoarding groups did not differ in any other EF subdomain. Hoarding symptoms in youth with OCD were not associated with deficits in EF subdomains; instead, youth who hoard exhibited higher cognitive flexibility compared to youth with low hoarding symptoms.

P03.05 The use of subcortical intraoperative electrical stimulation mapping for assessment of executive functions: A summary of the evidence so far

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii17-ii18
Author(s):  
M J F Landers ◽  
M M Sitskoorn ◽  
G J M Rutten ◽  
E Mandonnet ◽  
W De Baene
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus ◽  
Neurosurgical Planning ◽  
The Right ◽  
Intraoperative Electrical Stimulation

Abstract BACKGROUND Over the past years, the functional subcortical architecture of the brain has been increasingly acknowledged in neurosurgical planning. A method to study anatomo-functional correlations is direct electrical stimulation (DES). DES is widely used by neurosurgeons and considered as a reliable tool to minimize the occurrence of permanent postoperative motor, language and visual deficits. In recent years, DES has also been used for mapping of other cognitive functions, such as executive functions. MATERIAL AND METHODS We systematically summarized the evidence so far from DES studies on subcortical pathways that are involved in the following three executive functions: (1) inhibitory control, (2) working memory and (3) cognitive flexibility. RESULTS We only found twelve articles that reported on intraoperative electrical stimulation of white matter pathways to map executive functions and explicitly clarified which subcortical tract was stimulated. The results indicate that the second branch of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF-II) is involved in inhibitory control, the first branch of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF-I) and the third branch of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF-III) are involved in working memory and the cingulum is involved in cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSION We were unable to draw any specific conclusions, nor unequivocally established the pathways involved in executive functions due to heterogenous study characteristics, methods and tasks, and the limited number of studies that assessed these relationships. Clearly, neurosurgical groups are exploring novel methods to assess cognition during awake neurosurgery, but are far from consensus on indications and protocols, which complicated the comparison and summarization of findings. We will discuss possible approaches for future research to obtain converging and more definite evidence for the involvement of subcortical pathways in specific executive functions.

Symposium

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1953 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87
Author(s):  
JOHN E. BORDLEY ◽  
WILLIAM G. HARDY ◽  
MIRIAM PAULS ◽  
HARLAN BLOOMER ◽  
A. D. RUEDEMANN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Important Sense

It has been evident this afternoon what a close interrelationship there is between the 3 subjects on our program; as an example, we heard Dr. Hardy state that hearing was the most important sense for intellectual development. Miss Spaulding also made the same statement concerning vision, whereas I believe it is safe to say that Dr. Bloomer feels that speech is absolutely essential for a child's normal development. Dr. Hardy in his paper stressed the wisdom of apprehending hearing loss early. Such investigation should always be made when communicative disorders are suspect. He explained the special technics at hand to make early diagnosis possible. Early diagnosis, he explained, makes early rehabilitation much easier to plan and it allows for individual planning for the patient according to his actual hearing loss. Dr. Pauls showed that with modern technics the hearing handicapped child has a much brighter future than 15 years ago. She explained the significance of the value of the various hearing levels obtainable by modern diagnostic technics. She spoke convincingly for early amplification, where it can be used for the hard-of-hearing child, and she stated that emphasis should be on "hearing" and not on "deafness." Her plea, throughout her paper, reiterates again and again that the best course of rehabilitation should always stress the maintenance of a normal environment whenever possible. Both Dr. Pauls and Dr. Bloomer emphasized that speech development is best fostered by a maternal bath of sound. Dr. Bloomer, in his presentation, stated that the preventability of speech problems is more important than curing speech difficulties. Seventy-five per cent of such problems could be handled successfully by coordinating medical care, emotional growth and satisfactory parent-child relationship. Twenty-five per cent of speech problems, although resulting from actual physical damage, would be helped if the climactic effect of such damage could be minimized by proper handling of the children. Dr. Ruedemann spoke on the relations of strabismus in learning. He felt that there should be as much emphasis on its correction for the functional value of the vision as well as for any cosmetic effect. Foveal vision, he stated, has a special application to learning. Lack of such coordination in the eyes affects concentration and also affects visual memory. He showed how the muscles put the fovea in the correct relation for eye correlation. He also stressed early diagnosis and early corrective work, and he spoke of the importance of visual capacity instead of vision per se. Miss Spaulding presented an excellent summary of her research in which she showed the rate of instance of muscle imbalance in children, and how that imbalance seems to increase from lower to higher age groups. A greater proportion of abnormals seems to always be found in the older groups of children. This is especially true of strabismus. She feels that the superiority of some of the abnormals over the controls make it evident that muscle error is not necessarily associated with less than average learning ability. Like Dr. Pauls and Dr. Bloomer, she feels that a positive approach should be emphasized, and that the child should be shown what he can do rather than what he can't.

Exercise for Cognitive Improvement and Rehabilitation (EXCIR) Improves Attention and Executive Functions in Children with ADHD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Nejati
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Cognitive Improvement ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background: Physical activities improves cognitive functioning. The purpose of the present study is to effect of physical activity with progressive cognitive demands on attention and executive functions in children with ADHD. Methods: Thirty children with ADHD were randomly assigned into two equal experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of exercise for cognitive improvement and rehabilitation (EXCIR). Working memory, selective attention, sustained attention, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility were administered pre- and post-intervention through 1-back test, Stroop test, attention registration test, go no go test and trial making test in order. The repeated measure ANOVAs were used for analysis.Results: The results showed that experimental group has a greater performance in selective attention, sustained attention, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility compared to control group. Conclusions: These findings implicate that the cognitive rehabilitation program is advantageous for improvement of attention and executive functions in children with ADHD.

scholarly journals Listening Effort: Order Effects and Core Executive Functions

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (08) ◽  
pp. 734-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jonas Brännström ◽  
Elisabeth Karlsson ◽  
Sebastian Waechter ◽  
Tobias Kastberg
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Core Executive ◽  
Babble Noise ◽  
Listening Task

AbstractListening effort seems to depend on input-related listening demands and several factors internal to the individual listener. Input-related demands may be listening in noise compared with listening in quiet, and internal factors may be cognitive functions.The purpose was to apply measures of listening effort and perceived listening effort in participants with normal hearing, to determine if there are any presentation order effects, and to explore the relationship between listening effort measured as accuracy, response times, efficiency of information encoding into long-term memory, perceived listening effort, and core executive functions.A within-subject design with repeated measures was used and a study of relationships between variables was made.Thirty-two healthy adults with normal hearing.Participants were tested individually by a listening task using a dual-task paradigm. The listening task was performed in quiet and in multitalker babble noise at 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Perceived listening effort and core executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) were also assessed.The measures of listening effort (correct responses, response times, and immediate and delayed listening comprehension) failed to demonstrate increased listening effort in multitalker babble noise (10 dB SNR) compared with quiet, although a significant test order effect was seen for correct responses indicating that participants who first listened in noise did not improve in quiet. Perceived listening effort increased significantly in noise compared with quiet. No relationship was found between measures of listening effort and ratings of perceived listening effort. Working memory and cognitive flexibility were not related to ratings of perceived listening effort. In contrast, better inhibitory control was related to higher ratings in both quiet and in noise.It is possible that the SNR and measures used were not as sensitive as required to measure listening effort behaviorally. In the present experimental setup, prior noise exposure impedes the beneficial effects of performing a task in quiet. Self-reports seem to provide a valid measure of perceived listening effort that is related to the individual’s inhibitory control. The present findings suggest that participants with better inhibitory control are more susceptible to the task demand level both in quiet and in noise.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Quality of Classroom Interactions in Kindergarten Among 5–6-Year-Old Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Veraksa ◽  
Daria Bukhalenkova ◽  
Olga Almazova
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Classroom Organization ◽  
High Level

According to international longitudinal studies, the quality of preschool education is of great importance for children’s further development. The modern research’s greatest interest in the field of studying the quality of preschool education is precisely the assessment of the relationship between the teacher and children as well as the teaching quality in kindergarten groups. In this regard, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) seems to be the one of the most relevant for the educational environment quality evaluation. The CLASS methodology (which includes emotional support, classroom organization, and instrumental support) is based on the cultural-historical approach, which shows the interaction between students and adults as the main mechanism for child’s development. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between different aspects of the classroom organization quality in kindergarten groups and executive functions components (such as cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory) in 5–6-year-old children. The quality of classroom interaction was measured by the CLASS. The study used the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) method to assess cognitive flexibility and the NEPSY-II subtests “Inhibition” to assess inhibitory control and “Memory for Designs” and “Sentences Repetition” to assess visuo-spatial and verbal working memory, respectively. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The study involved 26 kindergarten groups in Moscow. While conducting the research, extreme groups were identified (5 with low quality and 10 with high-quality levels of classroom interaction). Then, three kindergarten groups with low level (65 children) and three groups with high level (68 children) of interaction within classroom were selected and compared. The results revealed that children from groups with low level of classroom interaction have higher results in cognitive flexibility tasks when compared with children from groups with high level of interaction. Also, children from groups with high-quality classroom interaction demonstrated higher results in visuo-spatial working memory tasks and inhibitory control tasks as contrasted with children from low-quality groups. These findings attest to the importance of classroom interaction quality for the executive functions development in the preschool age.

Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility Mediates Visuoconstructional Abilities in Older Adults with Heterogeneous Cognitive Ability

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 392-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela T. Ávila ◽  
Jonas J. de Paula ◽  
Maria A. Bicalho ◽  
Edgar N. Moraes ◽  
Rodrigo Nicolato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Planning Ability ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractPrevious studies suggest that executive functions influence the performance on visuoconstructional tasks. This study aims to investigate whether the relationship between planning ability and the copy of complex figures is mediated by distinct components of executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). We included a 129 older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (n=36, AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=67), and with no evidence of cognitive impairment (controls, n=26). We evaluated the mediation effect of planning abilities, working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control on visuoconstructional tasks using a multiple mediation models. We found a significant direct effect of planning on visuoconstructional abilities and a partial mediation effect of working memory and cognitive flexibility on visuoconstructional abilities. The present results indicate that the performance on visuoconstructional task is mediated by multiple interrelated executive functions components, in particular working memory and cognitive flexibility. (JINS, 2015, 21, 392–398)

scholarly journals The developmental trajectories of executive function from adolescence to old age

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather J. Ferguson ◽  
Victoria E. A. Brunsdon ◽  
Elisabeth E. F. Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

AbstractExecutive functions demonstrate variable developmental and aging profiles, with protracted development into early adulthood and declines in older age. However, relatively few studies have specifically included middle-aged adults in investigations of age-related differences in executive functions. This study explored the age-related differences in executive function from late childhood through to old age, allowing a more informed understanding of executive functions across the lifespan. Three hundred and fifty participants aged 10 to 86 years-old completed a battery of tasks assessing the specific roles of inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and planning. Results highlighted continued improvement in working memory capacity across adolescence and into young adulthood, followed by declines in both working memory and inhibitory control, beginning from as early as 30–40 years old and continuing into older age. Analyses of planning abilities showed continued improvement across adolescence and into young adulthood, followed by a decline in abilities across adulthood, with a small (positive) change in older age. Interestingly, a dissociation was found for cognitive flexibility; switch costs decreased, yet mixing costs increased across the lifespan. The results provide a description of the developmental differences in inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility and planning, above any effects of IQ or SES, and highlight the importance of including middle-aged adults in studies seeking to establish a more comprehensive picture of age-related differences in executive function.

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