Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children
Executive function (EF) refers to a set of higher order cognitive processes that control and modulate cognition under continuously changing and multiple task demands. EF plays a central role in early childhood, is associated and predictive of important cognitive achievements and has been recognized...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00525/full |
| _version_ | 1817970920730394624 |
|---|---|
| author | Laura eTraverso Paola eViterbori Maria Carmen eUsai |
| author_facet | Laura eTraverso Paola eViterbori Maria Carmen eUsai |
| author_sort | Laura eTraverso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Executive function (EF) refers to a set of higher order cognitive processes that control and modulate cognition under continuously changing and multiple task demands. EF plays a central role in early childhood, is associated and predictive of important cognitive achievements and has been recognized as a significant aspect of school readiness. This study examines the efficacy of a group based intervention for five-year-old children that focuses on basic components of EF (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility). The intervention included 12 sessions, lasted one month and used low-cost materials. Seventy-five children took part in the study. The results indicate that the children who attended the intervention outperformed controls in simple and more complex EF tasks. Specifically, these children exhibited increased abilities to delay gratification, to control on-going responses, to process and update information and to manage high cognitive conflict. These results suggest the possibility that this intervention, which may be easily implemented in educational services, can promote EF during preschool period before the entrance in primary school. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:41:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd96cfabbc88400dbbc8987420ee79d2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:41:02Z |
| publishDate | 2015-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd96cfabbc88400dbbc8987420ee79d22022-12-22T02:30:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782015-04-01610.3389/fpsyg.2015.00525134151Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old childrenLaura eTraverso0Paola eViterbori1Maria Carmen eUsai2University of GenoaUniversity of GenoaUniversity of GenoaExecutive function (EF) refers to a set of higher order cognitive processes that control and modulate cognition under continuously changing and multiple task demands. EF plays a central role in early childhood, is associated and predictive of important cognitive achievements and has been recognized as a significant aspect of school readiness. This study examines the efficacy of a group based intervention for five-year-old children that focuses on basic components of EF (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility). The intervention included 12 sessions, lasted one month and used low-cost materials. Seventy-five children took part in the study. The results indicate that the children who attended the intervention outperformed controls in simple and more complex EF tasks. Specifically, these children exhibited increased abilities to delay gratification, to control on-going responses, to process and update information and to manage high cognitive conflict. These results suggest the possibility that this intervention, which may be easily implemented in educational services, can promote EF during preschool period before the entrance in primary school.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00525/fullExecutive Functiontrainingworking memorycognitive flexibilityInhibition (Psychology)preschool |
| spellingShingle | Laura eTraverso Paola eViterbori Maria Carmen eUsai Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children Frontiers in Psychology Executive Function training working memory cognitive flexibility Inhibition (Psychology) preschool |
| title | Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children |
| title_full | Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children |
| title_fullStr | Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children |
| title_short | Improving Executive Function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5- year-old children |
| title_sort | improving executive function in childhood evaluation of a training intervention for 5 year old children |
| topic | Executive Function training working memory cognitive flexibility Inhibition (Psychology) preschool |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00525/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauraetraverso improvingexecutivefunctioninchildhoodevaluationofatraininginterventionfor5yearoldchildren AT paolaeviterbori improvingexecutivefunctioninchildhoodevaluationofatraininginterventionfor5yearoldchildren AT mariacarmeneusai improvingexecutivefunctioninchildhoodevaluationofatraininginterventionfor5yearoldchildren |