Early Childhood: Executive Function

Introduction

• Executive function: that aspect of brain organization, generally located within the prefrontal cortex, that coordinates attention and memory and controls behavioral, emotional responses for the purpose of attaining a goal.
• It also includes speed of information processing, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and planning.

Inhibition and Flexibility

• In early childhood, executive functioning involves developmental advances in cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and delay of gratification.
• Inhibition: the ability to stop a response, (such as grabbing a forbidden treat)--also includes the ability to resist distractions and control what you pay attention to.
• Young children demonstrate inhibitory control in a preschool classroom when they wait their turn to contribute to discussions during circle time rather than shouting out what they are thinking.
• Cognitive flexibility: ability to switch focus as needed
• Young children demonstrate cognitive flexibility in a classroom when they can easily change rules or routines when called on to do so .
• Transitions also relates to frustration/tolerance.
  • How do students respond when there is a change of events? What do they do when the rules change, and they need to be “flexible”; children will react differently based on temperament and skills

Recent Findings

• Researchers found that advances in executive functioning during preschool years are linked with math skills, school readiness, language development and potentially more so than IQ
• Children ages 3-11 with better inhibitory control, less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors and drug use in adolescent years; and almost 30 years later had better physical and mental health, better earnings, and reported greater happiness

Play as Beneficial for Executive Functioning

• Children engaging in imaginative play are more likely to be sociable with peers, able to think flexibly and creatively, better emotional regulation skills, and theory of mind
• Thibodeau and colleagues randomly assigned children to participate in either a pretend play intervention, a non-imaginative play intervention, or a control condition; only those who were assigned to pretend play condition showed improved EF skills
• In another study, reading stories that were “silly” and were unexpected, promoted the development cognitive flexibility in preschoolers compared to those who were not read the silly stories.
• These studies demonstrated short term gains, further research investigating long-term contribution
• Effects of play may be larger for those from low to middle class backgrounds. Findings are especially promising for individuals form low SES background, policy for UPK nation-wide and programming
• Indirect contributing factors: sleep, nutrition, health, excess stress, contextual factors