Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship among various aspects of executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, planning and cognitive flexibility) and language comprehension in preschool children. The final sample included 203 children, four or five years old, with average nonverbal cognitive development. The measuring instruments for assessment of the children’s executive functions were Grass/Snow task; Inhibition task (NEPSY-II); Digit Span task; CANTAB tasks and Dimensional Change Card Sort. The Reynell Developmental Language Scales were used for the assessment of language comprehension. The results showed that the only significant predictors of language comprehension were verbal working memory, as measured by the Digit Span task, and inhibitory control, as measured by the Grass/Snow task. This study emphasises the importance of inhibitory control and working memory for language comprehension in preschool children.
Highlights
Language comprehension has been studied considerably less than language production
Other executive functions have been examined sparsely and in some populations, e.g., inhibitory control (Verhoef et al, 2009) and cognitive flexibility (Deák, 2003), which have been predominantly examined in bilingual populations
The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between various aspects of the executive functions and language comprehension in preschool children
Summary
Language comprehension has been studied considerably less than language production. Studies dealing with language acquisition have been more focused on language structure in children than on language comprehension. The “cognitive infrastructure”, included in both “breaking” the language code and the comprehension of a complex symbolic system (like language), has been largely understudied. Research has mainly focused on the influence of input features, the sensory features of children, and general cognitive status (intelligence). There have been almost no studies on the specific cognitive processes involved in language comprehension development and the individual differences they can create. Due to all of this, the fact that language is built through a complex inter-
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