儿童执行功能与早期学业能力的关系:学习品质的中介作用

以上海市6所幼儿园245名3~6岁儿童为研究对象,分别采用头–脚–膝盖–肩膀(HTKS)任务、修订后的儿童行为评定量表(CBRS)及亚太学前儿童发展量表中的语言和前阅读分量表以及认知分量表考察执行功能、学习品质及早期语言和数学学业发展状况。结果表明:(1)执行功能对学习品质、早期语言能力和数学能力均有显著正向预测作用;(2)学习品质在执行功能和早期数学能力关系中起部分中介作用,但对执行功能和早期语言能力的关系无中介作用。     

5～6岁不同数学能力水平儿童的执行功能差异研究

为了考察不同数学能力水平儿童的执行功能差异,根据331名学前儿童的数学能力得分选取了潜在数学学习困难儿童组、低分组、典型发展儿童组和数学优秀组等4个实验组。首先分析了各组儿童的执行功能差异特点,之后使用判别分析进一步探索了各执行功能子结构对儿童早期数学能力差异分组的贡献。结果表明:相对于典型发展儿童组,潜在数学学习困难儿童在执行功能的更新、抑制和转换方面普遍缺损;低分组儿童则仅表现出数字更新能力不足;数学优秀组在数字更新和有时间要求的认知转换方面比典型发展组有明显优势。进一步判别分析表明,对早期数学能力差异分组贡献最大的并非独立执行功能子结构,而是更新和转换的共同因素结构。     

执行功能在不同年级儿童数学能力中的作用

选取812名三～六年级的儿童,采用相关分析和结构方程模型等方法考察了各执行功能成分在不同年级儿童三种数学能力中的作用。结果显示,在低年级阶段,工作记忆广度是数学运算能力、空间想象能力和逻辑思维能力最重要的预测因素;在高年级阶段,工作记忆广度对三种数学能力的预测作用下降,而工作记忆刷新和认知灵活性对数学能力的预测作用提升。这表明,各执行功能成分对不同数学能力的预测作用存在差异,并将随儿童年级的增长而发生变化。     

数学学习困难儿童的加工速度与工作记忆

以数学学习困难儿童为研究对象,系统考察了数学学习困难儿童与控制组的加工速度和工作记忆,比较了工作记忆和加工速度对数学学习困难影响的相对贡献.结果发现,与控制组相比,数学学习困难儿童在工作记忆和加工速度方面均存在明显的不足,但加工速度不能解释不同能力组之间的差异,数学学习困难儿童的缺陷在于工作记忆能力的下降.工作记忆缺陷在于数字工作记忆、视空间工作记忆和中央执行功能的整体不足,中央执行功能对数学学习困难儿童影响的解释量最大.     

动态测验对“数学学习困难”儿童的进一步甄别

本研究意在考查动态测验对数学学习困难儿童作进一步程度区分的有效性。以传统且常用的数学学习困难鉴别方式和标准选取30名四年级数学学习困难儿童为实验组,30名同年级智力匹配儿童为对照组,以Swanson认知加工测验(S-CPT)的4个子测验为测量工具对被试进行动态测验。结果发现：(1)在传统数学学习困难鉴别方式的基础上,动态测验的“潜在认知能力”指标可以对儿童数学成绩增加19%的预测力;(2)以“潜在认知能力”指标为依据能够将数学学习困难儿童进一步区分为“发展落后”和“发展缺陷”两个水平;(3)“发展落后”儿童一年内数学成绩发生了增长性变化,与正常儿童水平相当,而“发展缺陷”儿童的数学成绩没有变化。研究证实关注潜能指标的动态测验范式在快速、准确甄别数学学习困难儿童上具有独特效用。     

儿童执行功能对数学能力的预测模型

使用数点数广度任务(C-span)、Stroop任务、威斯康星卡片分类任务(WCST)测查儿童的执行功能,用《小学儿童数学能力测查量表》(一年级)、《韦克斯勒儿童智力测量》分别测查儿童的数学能力和智力,对64名小学一年级儿童的执行功能(抑制、转换、刷新)和数学能力的关系进行了研究,相关分析和回归分析发现,数学能力与执行功能任务测量都有显著相关,抑制、转换和刷新都分别对数学能力存在显著回归效应;在此基础上,建立了执行功能及其对儿童数学能力的预测模型。结果表明,抑制控制、转换和刷新都能对数学能力产生直接影响,但抑制控制还通过转换和刷新对数学能力产生间接影响。说明儿童数学能力的认知差异,主要在于抑制控制能力的差异,而抑制控制的差异又导致转换和刷新能力表现的差异。     

数学学习困难初中生的中央执行系统特点

为揭示数学学习困难学生的认知过程加工特点,筛选上海111名初中生（男生46名,女生68名,平均年龄11.97岁）比较数学困难学生（55名）与数学优秀学生（56名）的中央执行系统的表现差异,通过反应停止任务和Flanker任务考察抑制能力以及注意控制能力。结果发现各种抑制和注意控制条件下,数困组学生的正确率低于数优组;在具有干扰的情况的成绩更能有效预测数学成绩;中央执行系统能力在初中总体具有上升发展趋势,数困生的发展具有波动性。因此,数学学习困难在中央执行系统中的缺损主要是对抗干扰的能力不足,而非简单的加工速度。     

执行功能与儿童数学认知

儿童数学认知能力的发展与儿童执行功能之间有着密切的联系.这种联系不仅仅表现在认知加工机制方面,如工作记忆、抑制控制等,还涉及到深层的认知神经机制,如前额叶皮质等.此外,儿童数学认知和执行功能在研究范式上也存在着一些共同的模式,例如冲突抑制任务和规则转换任务等.     

2～3.5岁儿童执行功能发展特点及其言语能力的影响

2~3.5岁是婴儿成长到幼儿的重要发展转折期,也是儿童执行功能及言语能力的发展萌芽期。研究通过测查北京市81名2~3.5岁儿童在固定盒子任务、搭积木任务、A非B任务和皮博迪图片词汇测验上的表现,探究了该年龄段儿童执行功能的发展特点、各成分间的内部关系、以及言语能力对执行功能的影响。结果发现:(1)在2~3.5岁期间,除认知灵活性外,儿童的工作记忆与抑制控制均快速发展,其中,2.5岁前后是工作记忆与抑制控制的重要发展时期;(2)在2~3岁期间,认知灵活性与工作记忆之间相关密切,在3~3.5岁期间,认知灵活性与抑制控制的相关密切,3岁是儿童执行功能内部成分关系的重要发展转折期;(3)在2~3.5岁期间,儿童言语能力呈现快速发展,并且言语能力对该年龄段执行功能各成分间关系产生一定的影响,但不同言语能力的儿童在执行功能各成分的表现并没有显著差异。     

音乐训练对认知能力的影响

在当今社会中, 越来越多的儿童接受音乐训练, 试图通过音乐训练提高认知能力。针对认知活动中的语言能力、空间能力以及数学能力, 探究音乐训练与认知能力的关系, 试图为音乐教育提供实证依据。研究结果表明, 尽管音乐训练与认知能力的关系较为复杂, 但是, 音乐训练与个体的语言知觉和产生能力以及空间视觉化能力都存在正相关, 且在一定程度上可以提高这些认知能力。     

Effects of physical activity on children’s executive function: Contributions of experimental research on aerobic exercise

Executive function refers to the cognitive processes necessary for goal-directed cognition and behavior, which develop across childhood and adolescence. Recent experimental research indicates that both acute and chronic aerobic exercise promote children’s executive function. Furthermore, there is tentative evidence that not all forms of aerobic exercise benefit executive function equally: Cognitively-engaging exercise appears to have a stronger effect than non-engaging exercise on children’s executive function. This review discusses this evidence as well as the mechanisms that may underlie the association between exercise and executive function. Research from a variety of disciplines is covered, including developmental psychology, kinesiology, cognitive neuroscience, and biopsychology. Finally, these experimental findings are placed within the larger context of known links between action and cognition in infancy and early childhood, and the clinical and practical implications of this research are discussed.     

虚拟现实技术在执行功能评估中的应用

执行功能反映了个体对自身的认知过程进行调节和控制的能力,其评估在儿童认知能力发展水平和特殊人群认知功能损伤程度的评定中起着重要作用。虽然执行功能的评估自20世纪初就开始被实施和应用,但传统评估方法仍存在着生态效度不高、不易操纵实验环境的复杂性、不易操纵被试觉醒水平等缺陷。近年来,虚拟现实技术以其有限的成本和快速的发展被越来越多地应用于执行功能评估,并被证实具有生态效度高、实验条件高度可控等显著优点。     

贫困对个体执行功能的影响

已有研究发现,贫困会对个体的执行功能产生消极的影响,这种影响贯穿于个体婴儿期、童年期以及成年期。贫困会影响与执行功能相关的前额叶的结构（如较小的灰质体积）。贫困个体与非贫困个体对额叶区域资源的调用方式不同,贫困个体需要使用额外的补偿资源来监测和抑制对干扰物的反应。贫困会通过压力、认知剥夺以及父母养育等因素直接或间接的影响个体的执行功能。今后该领域的研究应关注贫困影响执行功能的调节变量（如自我肯定、自我调节）,建立贫困影响执行功能的综合模型（如考虑贫困经历时间等）,立足执行功能的可塑性,通过认知干预提高贫困个体的执行功能。     

Executive function, intellectual decline and daily living skills

Understanding the cognitive changes associated with compromised daily living skills in elderly individuals is important for making appropriate recommendations about the capacity for independent functioning. To this end, we retrospectively examined data from 92 elderly individuals presenting with cognitive decline who were administered measures of executive functioning, general intelligence, and daily living skills. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between executive functioning and daily living skills, while controlling for age, depression, and either IQ decline or current IQ. Executive functioning accounted for additional variance in a broad range of daily living skills after controlling for IQ decline. When FSIQ was used in the regression model rather than IQ decline, executive functioning was no longer uniquely associated with daily living skills. Executive functions appear to be important for daily living skills until a critical threshold of low intellectual functioning is reached, reflecting the combined influence of premorbid ability and the extent of intellectual decline. Our results suggest that understanding the relative contribution of different cognitive domains to functional decline in elderly individuals should take into account general intellectual functioning and estimated decline, and that the initiation and/or persistence of self-directed cognitive processes may be important for adaptive daily functioning. These findings have implications for making more evidence-based recommendations about the capacity for independent living.     

The development of executive functions and early mathematics: A dynamic relationship

Background. The relationship between executive functions and mathematical skills has been studied extensively, but results are inconclusive, and how this relationship evolves longitudinally is largely unknown. Aim. The aim was to investigate the factor structure of executive functions in inhibition, shifting, and updating; the longitudinal development of executive functions and mathematics; and the relation between them. Sample. A total of 211 children in grade 2 (7–8 years old) from 10 schools in the Netherlands. Method. Children were followed in grade 1 and 2 of primary education. Executive functions and mathematics were measured four times. The test battery contained multiple tasks for each executive function: Animal stroop, local global, and Simon task for inhibition; Animal Shifting, Trail Making Test in Colours, and Sorting Task for shifting; and Digit Span Backwards, Odd One Out, and Keep Track for updating. The factor structure of executive functions was assessed and relations with mathematics were investigated using growth modelling. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that inhibition and shifting could not be distinguished from each other. Updating was a separate factor, and its development was strongly related to mathematical development while inhibition and shifting did not predict mathematics in the presence of the updating factor. Conclusions. The strong relationship between updating and mathematics suggest that updating skills play a key role in the maths learning process. This makes updating a promising target for future intervention studies.     

体感游戏促进儿童的执行功能：运动强度和认知参与的作用

为了考察体感游戏促进儿童执行功能的作用机制, 采用2(运动强度：高/低) × 2(认知参与：高/低) × 3(测量时间：前测、一次性训练后测、长期训练后测)的三因素混合实验设计, 对122名4~6岁儿童进行6周(每周3次)的体感游戏训练。结果发现：在一次性训练中, 体感游戏中的运动强度而不是认知参与显著促进儿童执行功能, 尤其是工作记忆; 在长期干预中, 体感游戏中的运动强度和认知参与都显著促进儿童执行功能, 且认知参与的作用大于运动强度。这一结果不但验证了体感游戏对儿童执行功能的益处, 并且阐明了体感游戏中的哪些特征能对儿童执行功能具有短期的和长期的效果。     

小学高年级学生元认知监测对认知操作输出的影响:执行功能的调节作用

研究采用经典的执行功能测验-威斯康星卡片分类任务,通过自由报告法让被试对每次分类反应进行元认知监测、控制,以探讨小学五、六年级学生元认知控制、执行功能在元认知监测对认知操作输出（奖惩分数、正确应答比例提高指标）影响中的调节作用。研究结果发现：（1）执行功能指标中完成分类数、错误分类数、非持续性错误数、持续性错误数指标在元认知监测与正确应答比例提高之间的调节作用显著;（2）元认知监测在较低的执行功能水平上具有促进作用,即,当执行功能水平较低时,有效的元认知监测可以提高认知操作的输出成绩。研究结果支持元认知监控是与动机有关的、有意识的调节控制,为从理论上厘清元认知监控与执行功能的关系提供了实证支持。     

The roles of different executive functioning skills in young children’s mental computation and applied mathematical problem-solving

This study investigated the relationships of four executive functioning skills (including verbal working memory, spatial working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) with young children’s mental computation and applied mathematical problem-solving. Two hundred and twenty-five Chinese kindergarteners were tested with a battery of general cognitive, executive functioning and mathematics skills. Results showed that when children’s age, gender, non-verbal intelligence, and listening comprehension skills were controlled, verbal working memory and cognitive flexibility were significant correlates of mental computation, whereas verbal working memory, spatial working memory, and cognitive flexibility were significant correlates of applied mathematical problem-solving. Inhibitory control was not significantly associated with the two domains of mathematics under investigation. The findings highlight the differential roles of different executive functioning skills in early mathematical skills and offer practical implication for helping young children in learning complex mathematical skills.     

Individual differences in young children's suggestibility: Relations to event memory,language abilities,working memory,and executive functioning

In this paper, two empirical studies are presented in which an attempt was made to explain individual differences in two different aspects of 4-year-olds’ suggestibility, that is, their ability to resist false suggestions and memory impairments due to prior misinformation. As sources of individual differences cognitive skills along the information processing pathways were chosen: executive functioning (Study 1) and working memory (Study 2). Additionally, memory for the observed event and language proficiency were included in the studies. The results revealed that overall individual differences in language skills made a significant and consistent contribution to individual differences in the included measures of children's susceptibility to suggestions. Executive function and working memory skills were not directly related to children's tendency to yield false suggestions and their memory impairments in a recognition test after being misled. However, both executive function and working memory were related to children's language proficiency pointing to a possible indirect effect and underlining the importance of language competencies in early childhood.