scholarly journals Development of Preschool Children’s Executive Functions throughout a Play-Based Learning Approach That Embeds Science Concepts

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 588
Author(s):  
Clara Vidal Carulla ◽  
Nikolaos Christodoulakis ◽  
Karina Adbo
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
Attention Shifting ◽  
Experiment Data ◽  
Children’S Perspectives ◽  
Educational Experiment ◽  
Adult Supervision ◽  
Science Activities

This study focuses on the development of executive functions in preschool children during a series of science activities. A longitudinal play-based learning intervention was designed and implemented following the design of an educational experiment. Data were collected through visual ethnography in hot situations with adult supervision. Results show how entwined the concepts of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility are within young children’s development. The development of cognitive flexibility or attention shifting readily occurred when there were fictive characters (such as the king and his royal family), but changing perspective toward a nonfictive environment (i.e., taking other children’s perspectives) was a more difficult and time-consuming process. This process began in an individual perspective and expanded to acknowledging others’ perspectives, then moved toward creating common perspectives or alternative narratives. Results show that science activities can be a bridge for preschool children to transfer their use of executive functions, from fairytales and games toward everyday tasks.

Developing Executive Control Skills in Preschool Children With Language Impairment

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Karole Howland
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Language Impairments ◽  
Language Therapy ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
Therapy Sessions

This article discusses executive functions in preschool children with language impairments. Critical stages of executive function development are reviewed with respect to the key skills of inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility. Strategies for assessing executive functions are presented. Finally the article describes strategies for developing inhibitory control, planning and cognitive flexibility in preschool children, in the context of their language therapy sessions, in the classroom, and in the home.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Domain-Specific Cognitive Skills in Climbers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Florian Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Sport Climbing ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
General Physical

Athletes in a particular sport have specific cognitive skills acquired due to regular confrontation with sport-specific requirements. Studies show that the particular type of sport carried out and fostered by general physical activity impacts executive functions (EFs) such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. There are inconsistent results on the connections between domain-specific cognitive skills and executive functions. This study aimed to evaluate the relations between EFs and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbing. Due to that, we examined the executive functions (neuropsychological tests) and domain-specific cognitive skills (climbing-specific test: a preview of the route vs. climbed moves; climbed moves vs. recognition of moves) of 19 climbers (10 novices, 9 experts, grades 5 to 6a vs. 6c+ to 7b). The inter-subject effects analysis shows that novices and experts in sport climbing do not differ in executive functions in this particular case. Concerning domain-specific cognitive skills, there are differences between experts and novices. Experts show a significantly higher level in planning performance or route idea (p < 0.001) as well as in memorizing of climbed moves (p = 0.004). There are no relations between executive functions and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbers.

scholarly journals Cultural variation in cognitive flexibility reveals diversity in the development of executive functions

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristine H. Legare ◽  
Michael T. Dale ◽  
Sarah Y. Kim ◽  
Gedeon O. Deák
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cultural Variation

Cognitive flexibility in preschool children with and without stuttering disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Eichorn ◽  
Klara Marton ◽  
Steven Pirutinsky
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility

scholarly journals Executive Functions of Swedish Counterterror Intervention Unit Applicants and Police Officer Trainees Evaluated With Design Fluency Test

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Vestberg ◽  
Peter G. Tedeholm ◽  
Martin Ingvar ◽  
Agneta C. Larsson ◽  
Predrag Petrovic
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Police Force ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Expected Improvement ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Design Fluency ◽  
Successful Behavior

Executive functions (EF) represent higher order top-down mechanisms regulating information processing. While suboptimal EF have been studied in various patient groups, their impact on successful behavior is still not well described. Previously, it has been suggested that design fluency (DF)—a test including several simultaneous EF components mainly related to fluency, cognitive flexibility, and creativity—predicts successful behavior in a quickly changing environment where fast and dynamic adaptions are required, such as ball sports. We hypothesized that similar behaviors are of importance in the selection process of elite police force applicants. To test this hypothesis, we compared elite police force applicants (n = 45) with a control group of police officer trainees (n = 30). Although both groups were better than the norm, the elite police force applicants had a significantly better performance in DF total correct when adjusting for sex and age [F(1,71) = 18.98, p &lt; 0.001]. To understand how this capacity was altered by stress and tiredness, we re-tested the elite police force applicants several days during an extreme field assessment lasting 10 days. The results suggested that there was a lower than expected improvement in DF total correct and a decline in the DF3-subtest that includes a larger component of cognitive flexibility than the other subtests (DF1 and DF2). Although there was a positive correlation between the baseline session and the re-test in DF3 [r(40) = 0.49, p = 0.001], the applicants having the highest scores in the baseline test also displayed the largest percentage decline in the re-test [r(40) = −0.46, p = 0.003]. In conclusion, our result suggests that higher order EF (HEF) that include cognitive flexibility and creativity are of importance in the application for becoming an elite police officer but relatively compromised in a stressful situation. Moreover, as the decline is different between the individuals, the results suggest that applicants should be tested during baseline conditions and during stressful conditions to describe their cognitive capacity fully.

scholarly journals EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: A MAJOR LEVER FOR THE HEALTHY AND BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (03) ◽  
pp. 198-208
Author(s):  
Ihsane DAHANE
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Study Participant ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Scholastic Success

The early childhood is considered as one of the decisive stages in a child’s life. It’s viewed as the first building block that shapes the child’s personality in all its aspects, as this is when the child begins to deal with his external surrounding. Moreover, during this period the child's awareness grows towards autonomy. He starts to rely on himself in his actions and movement confidently. What the child experiences in his first years, shapes all his upcoming learnings. For instance, during the preschool, the child starts acquiring new principles and grasps some abstract concepts like solidarity, participation, socialization … The institution also works on promoting all the skills which are related to artistic creativity, recreational and educational activities. And since the intervention at this stage has a great impact on the child’s scholastic success, Its consequences positively affect the child’s health and behavior, as well as his cognitive and mental development. Thus, the recent studies have shed light on the child's cognitive development in early stages. And focused mainly on understanding and identifying the factors affecting this development. A reference should be made that the child's cognitive development is crucially related scholastic success. That’s to say, by promoting the executive functions (inhibition - cognitive flexibility – memory – planning and organizing…) at the very early childhood stage is regarded as the cornerstone for building a child’s cognitive skills and acquiring social behavior. This research study aims to explore the children’s executive functions state at their early childhood stage (preschool children) in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses which needs intervention. The study was implemented by using the CHILDHOOD EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING INVENTORY (CHEXI) FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS. The study participant were 150 children, divided among 10 educators in the second preparatory level at 4 different schools. The latter are part of (The Moroccan Foundation for the Promotion of preSchool education) in the Rabat region. It was concluded that the executive functions of preschool children still need further reinforcement and development by setting up an intervention program.

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