Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts
Executive functions (EFs)’ development is critically affected by childhood adversity exposure. Although recent studies underlined the deleterious effects of early life stresses on working memory (WM) and inhibitory control, they were scarcely investigated in war context especially in relation with l...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00383/full |
| _version_ | 1818035015031717888 |
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| author | Sandra Pellizzoni Gian Matteo Apuzzo Chiara De Vita Tiziano Agostini Miriam Ambrosini Maria Chiara Passolunghi |
| author_facet | Sandra Pellizzoni Gian Matteo Apuzzo Chiara De Vita Tiziano Agostini Miriam Ambrosini Maria Chiara Passolunghi |
| author_sort | Sandra Pellizzoni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Executive functions (EFs)’ development is critically affected by childhood adversity exposure. Although recent studies underlined the deleterious effects of early life stresses on working memory (WM) and inhibitory control, they were scarcely investigated in war context especially in relation with learning abilities. In order to fill this gap, we designed a research with the aim to evaluate EFs together with early math skills. In particular, we conducted a study involving 150 children divided into three groups: 48 Yazidis (Mage = 71 months, SD = 6.59), 47 Syrian refugees (Mage = 68.77 months, SD = 7, age), and 55 Italians (Mage = 68.65 months, SD = 2.88) attending the third year of kindergarten in Italy or inserted in Psyco-Social-Support activities in Iraq. The children were evaluated with a variety of tasks assessing WM, inhibitory control, counting, digit-quantity mapping, and digit naming skills. The results indicated substantial differences both in EFs and early numerical abilities between the deprived groups and the Italian children. Data are discussed in terms of implications for children both exposed to mainstream school environments and living in socio-economically disadvantaged and deprived contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:48:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-feac51fc428c400bb63f62e464defe24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:48:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-feac51fc428c400bb63f62e464defe242022-12-22T01:58:37ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-03-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.00383497791Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived ContextsSandra Pellizzoni0Gian Matteo Apuzzo1Chiara De Vita2Tiziano Agostini3Miriam Ambrosini4Maria Chiara Passolunghi5Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, ItalyTerre des Hommes, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, ItalyExecutive functions (EFs)’ development is critically affected by childhood adversity exposure. Although recent studies underlined the deleterious effects of early life stresses on working memory (WM) and inhibitory control, they were scarcely investigated in war context especially in relation with learning abilities. In order to fill this gap, we designed a research with the aim to evaluate EFs together with early math skills. In particular, we conducted a study involving 150 children divided into three groups: 48 Yazidis (Mage = 71 months, SD = 6.59), 47 Syrian refugees (Mage = 68.77 months, SD = 7, age), and 55 Italians (Mage = 68.65 months, SD = 2.88) attending the third year of kindergarten in Italy or inserted in Psyco-Social-Support activities in Iraq. The children were evaluated with a variety of tasks assessing WM, inhibitory control, counting, digit-quantity mapping, and digit naming skills. The results indicated substantial differences both in EFs and early numerical abilities between the deprived groups and the Italian children. Data are discussed in terms of implications for children both exposed to mainstream school environments and living in socio-economically disadvantaged and deprived contexts.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00383/fullexecutive functionsworking memoryinhibitory controlwar contextearly math abilitiespreschoolers |
| spellingShingle | Sandra Pellizzoni Gian Matteo Apuzzo Chiara De Vita Tiziano Agostini Miriam Ambrosini Maria Chiara Passolunghi Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts Frontiers in Psychology executive functions working memory inhibitory control war context early math abilities preschoolers |
| title | Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts |
| title_full | Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts |
| title_fullStr | Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts |
| title_short | Exploring EFs and Math Abilities in Highly Deprived Contexts |
| title_sort | exploring efs and math abilities in highly deprived contexts |
| topic | executive functions working memory inhibitory control war context early math abilities preschoolers |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00383/full |
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