Cognitive Control Skills Research Articles

Syntactic revision in wh-questions: developmental trajectory and the role of cognitive control

ABSTRACT In our study, we examine children’s and adults’ interpretation of argument wh-questions requiring syntactic revision using a questions-after-stories procedure, leading to three major findings. First, children aged 7–8 years, but not 5–6-year-olds, were found to preferably attach the fronted wh-element to the first available gap, rather than the second, indicating an adultlike incremental parsing strategy of active gap filling. Second, older children show a similar rate of revision as adults, higher than younger children, although a substantial rate of misinterpretations remains. Third, we find a significant link between the rate of revision and cognitive control skills measured with an N-back task. Implications for theories of language development and parsing are discussed.

Tenis Antrenmanlarının Bilişsel Kontrol ve Görsel Uzamsal Beceriler Üzerindeki Etkisi

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of accurate shot exercises in tennis on cognitive control and visuospatial skills. 15 sports science faculty student, 6 females and 9 males, aged between 18-22, with an average age of 18.53 were included in the research. Flanker Task and Spatial Visualization Test were applied to evaluate participants’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills. Tennis training was performed once a week, for half an hour, with 500 hits (forehand and backhand) and an average of 2000 hits in four weeks. After performing the normality test and descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was applied to compare the pre-test and post-test. The findings showed that there were significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores in the spatial visualization test (p = 0.019), correct response rate in the flanker task (p = 0.02=), and difference in reaction time between congruent and incongruent conditions in the flanker task (p = 0.02). Consequently, it can be concluded that tennis training significantly improved participants’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills. The fact that tennis is a sport that requires the use of space and uses open skills may improve individuals’ cognitive control and visuospatial skills.

Underpinning the On-Line Processing of (Non-)Canonical Sentences in German-Speaking Four-Year-Olds: The Interplay of Cognitive Control and Memory Capacity

ABSTRACT This study investigates the interpretation of object-initial sentences in German-speaking children. We addressed the following questions: (1) Which morphosyntactic cues do children deploy to process object-initial sentences? (2) Which executive function (EF) abilities support them during this task? This study examined the effect of case and number agreement morphology in 4;6-year-old German-speaking children (N = 27) on their interpretation of unambiguous S(ubject)-V(erb)-O(bject) and OVS sentences by combining an offline (sentence-picture matching) and an online (looking-while-listening) paradigm. Participants’ working memory and cognitive control abilities were assessed by means of a (forward) digit-span test and a flanker task. Case-marked OVS sentences were processed more accurately than number-marked ones, although both conditions were less accurate than SVO sentences. We found a comprehension facilitation driven by higher cognitive control skills that enhances, specifically the interpretation of the more demanding number cue in OVS structures already in 4;6-year-olds. Higher working memory skills are generally associated with children’s processing skills as they support the correct parsing of all online conditions and of both SVO and OVS in the offline case condition. We conclude that while case-marking appears to be processed more reliably than number by preschoolers, also number information alone can be processed, especially by children with higher cognitive control skills.

The Effects of Adolescents' Participation in Video Games on Cognitive Function and Motor Control Skills.

There is still a lack of understanding of the productive areas of video game participation. Therefore, in order to observe positive effects and changes in game participation, this study examines the effects of game participation on the cognitive function and motor skills from 130 adolescents. To evaluate the participants' test performance, a cognitive function and motor control skill test program consisting of 10 tests were used (Trail Making, Corsi block, Tower of London, shooting game tasks, etc.). Differences in test performances between groups were verified using one-way ANOVA and an independent t-test. The results were as follows: first, there was no difference between groups according to the frequency of game participation in every test performance. Second, the results of this study showed statistically significant differences between groups according to the play time of game participation in several test performances (Key-mapping: p = 0.40; score of Grid Shot: p = 0.01, 0.07; score of Sphere Track: p = 0.12, 0.21; accuracy of Sphere Track: p = 0.12, 0.16). Also, all the effects' size results were confirmed as medium (Cohen's f > 0.20 and <0.40). Third, high school students only showed statistically significant higher results in a Multi-tasking test performance than middle school students, and the results of the effect size were confirmed to be middle and large (Multi-tasking1: p = 0.00, Cohen's d = 0.830; Multi-tasking2: p = 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.501). The results of this study imply the need to regard game participation as a behavior that can contribute to adolescents' cognitive psychological health.

Effects of mindfulness training on decision-making in critical and high-demand situations: A pilot study in combat aviation

The current study investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based training program (Attentional Regulation Optimization) on decision-making in an elite population operating in a highly-demanding context, namely the actions of fighter pilots in critical flight situations that lead to ejection. Our hypothesis was that both mindfulness skills and decision-making performance would improve in pilots who participated in the ARO program (n = 7), compared to a control group (n = 8). Mindfulness skills were measured with the FFMQ-15. Decision-making performance was evaluated in two tests that were implemented in scenarios in a full flight simulator. Five dependent variables were assessed, corresponding to the phases of the decision-making process when faced with an in-flight failure: reaction time after the first failure input, correctness of the first action, emergency procedure score, ejection procedure score, and quality of ejection. Adherence to the ARO program was assessed with the number of out-of-class individual mindfulness sessions and the number of out-of-class body-mind scans.No statistically significant improvement in mindfulness skills for the ARO group compared to the control group were found. Reaction time was significantly shortened for the ARO group compared to the control group—but only for complex failures. A positive effect on the correctness of the first action was also found. On the other hand, ARO training had no significant effect on the downstream phases of decision-making (emergency procedure score, ejection procedure score and quality of ejection).Given the small sample size, these results must be considered with caution. However, they open up interesting avenues for future work, notably with regard to the benefits of mindfulness training on perceptual and attentional skills (to detect flight failure cues) and cognitive control skills (to diagnose and select appropriate procedures). From an operational perspective, the program appears to have beneficial effects on safety and performance in elite populations who must face critical situations.

Investigation of the Effect of Cognitive Control and Cognitive Flexibility Skills on Mental Well-Being in Athletes

Investigation of the Effect of Cognitive Control and Cognitive Flexibility Skills on Mental Well-Being in Athletes

The Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility and Control in the Relationship Between the Covid-19 Distress and Cognitive Failures

It is thought that reducing the cognitive errors of individuals affected by anxiety during psychological treatment is important for reducing cognitive errors in areas such as focusing and memory in daily life. In this study, it was aimed to examine the mediation effect of cognitive control and coping flexibility on emotions in the relationship between Covid-19-related anxiety and cognitive status, via the structural equation model. The participants of the study consisted of 585 people, 245 male and 351 female. The age range was 18-64 and the mean age of the participants was 32.08 (SS= 10.92). Covid-19 Distress Scale, Cognitive Failures Scale and Cognitive Control and Flexibility Scale were used. For the mediation analysis, Hayes' (2014) Model 4 was analyzed using Process Macro in SPSS. As a result of the analysis, it was found that cognitive control mediated the relationship between Covid-19 anxiety and cognitive errors. It is thought that the results of the current study may play an important role in reducing anxiety and cognitive errors by studying the cognitive flexibility and control skills of individuals and will contribute to the planning of health policies and necessary individual interventions.

A preliminary neuroimaging investigation of the effects of mindfulness training on attention reorienting andamygdala reactivity to emotional faces in adolescent and adult females.

Adolescence is a time of increased emotional reactivity and improving cognitive control. Mindfulness meditation training may foster adolescents' cognitive control and emotional regulation skills; however little is known about the impact of mindfulness training in adolescents compared to adults. We examined the effect of mindfulness meditation versus a closely matched active control condition (relaxation training) on behavioral and neural measures of cognitive control and emotional reactivity in a small group of adolescents and adults. Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after 8 weeks of training in 26 adolescent (12-14 years) and 17 adult (23-33 years) female participants in the United Kingdom while they completed an n-back task with emotional face distractors and an attentional control task. Participants of each group chose a class date/time and the classes were then randomly allocated to mindfulness or relaxation conditions. Compared to relaxation training, mindfulness training led to an increase in the speed of reorienting attention across age groups. In addition, there was preliminary evidence for reduced amygdala response to emotional face distractors in adolescents after mindfulness training. An 8-week mindfulness program showed similar facilitative effects in adolescent and adult females on the reorienting of attention, a skill that is repeatedly practiced during mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness also reduced left amygdala reactivity to emotional face distractors in adolescents only. Mindfulness meditation practice can therefore have a facilitative effect on female adolescents' attentional control, and possibly attenuate their emotional reactivity.

French Phonological Component Analysis and aphasia recovery: A bilingual perspective on behavioral and structural data.

Studies show bilingualism entails an advantage in cognitive control tasks. There is evidence of a bilingual advantage in the context of aphasia, resulting in better cognitive outcomes and recovery in bilingual persons with aphasia compared to monolingual peers. This bilingual advantage also results in structural changes in the right hemisphere gray matter. Very few studies have examined the so-called bilingual advantage by reference to specific anomia therapy efficacy. This study aims to compare the effect of French-Phonological Component Analysis (Fr-PCA) in monolinguals and bilingual persons with aphasia, both at the linguistic and cognitive control level, and to examine the structural impact of left hemisphere lesion location and right hemisphere structural data. Eight participants with chronic aphasia received Fr-PCA for a total of 15 h over 5 weeks. The results showed improved accuracy for treated words and generalization to untreated items and discourse in both groups, and improved Flanker task performance for some participants. Bilingual participants improved more than monolinguals for picture-naming tasks and narrative discourse. Damage to the left postcentral gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus was associated with less therapy-induced improvement. Additionally, left hemisphere damage to the inferior parietal gyrus and postcentral gyrus was associated with reduced cognitive control pre-therapy. Undamaged right hemisphere cortical thicknesses were significantly different between groups; the inferior frontal gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus were greater for the bilingual participants and correlated with cognitive control skills. These results suggest a bilingual advantage in anomia recovery following Fr-PCA, potentially resulting from enhanced cognitive control abilities that could be supported by right hemisphere neural reserve.

Six- to eight-year-olds' performance in the Heart and Flower task: Emerging proactive cognitive control.

The Heart and Flower task is used worldwide to measure age-dependent and individual differences in executive functions and/or cognitive control. The task reliably maps age and individual differences and these have consistently been found to be predictive for different aspects of school readiness and academic achievement. The idea has been put forward that there is a developmental shift in how children approach such a task. While 6-year-olds’ tend to adapt their task strategy ad hoc and reactively, older children increasingly engage in proactive cognitive control. Proactive cognitive control entails finding the right response speed without risking errors, always dependent on the cognitive conflict. The main goal of the present contribution was to examine children’s adjustments of response speed as a function of age and cognitive conflict by addressing RTs surrounding errors (i.e., errors and post-error trials). Data from a large sample with three age groups was used (N = 106 6-year-olds’ with a mean age of 6 years; 3 months; N = 108 7-year-olds’ with a mean age of 7 years; 4 months; N = 78 8-year-olds’ with a mean age of 8 years; 1 month). Response speed adjustments and the development thereof were targeted both across the Flower and Mixed block, respectively, and within these blocks focusing on errors and post-error slowing. Results revealed evidence for a developmental shift toward more efficient proactive cognitive control between 6 and 8 years of age, with the older but not the younger children strategically slowing down in the Mixed block and smoother post-error slowing. At the same time, we found that even the youngest age group has emerging proactive cognitive control skills at their disposal when addressing post-error slowing in the Flower block. The present study thus tracks the early roots of later efficient executive functions and cognitive control, contributes to a better understanding of how developmental progression in cognitive control is achieved, and highlights new avenues for research in this domain.

Advantages of Language Proficiency in the Military Environment

Abstract Multilingualism describes the fact of using several living languages, understanding them, and mastering their nuances. Languages apprenticeship is long, tedious, but rewarding. Worldwide, 60-75% of the population speaks at least two languages. To be monolingual is to be part of a minority. For the new generations of military leaders, speaking several languages is a huge advantage, socially, professionally and neurologically. After briefly reviewing some scientific data on the advantages of the bilingual brain, the paper discusses how bilingualism positively affects their cognitive development as future Army leaders. Indeed, the obligation to juggle between two languages, the mother tongue and the language learned, offers bilingual people better control of the executive functions of their brain. In other words, the faculties of attention, memory, reasoning developed by learning the language are reinforced. This is an advantage for the military leader, who can thus process each piece of information more quickly and adapt more effectively to the evolution of a situation in a theatre of operations, for example. Cognitive control skills, mental flexibility, the ability to perform tasks requiring change, monitoring and conflict control are thus easier for a bilingual army officer.

The Influence of Musical Activities on Cognitive Control Mechanisms

This article provides an overview of the ways music therapy may contribute to the improvement of cognitive control mechanisms, which play a central role in managing our goal-directed behaviors. First, we introduce the cognitive control model of Cohen (2017) and we summarize the main findings of the literature about the near and far transfer effects of music therapy. The integration of these two theoretical frameworks will allow us to describe the associations between higher-level cognitive control functions and music processing. In the second part of this paper, we present the preliminary findings of our recent study. We examined the relationship between formal regular music training and cognitive control in young adults by focusing on working memory updating and cognitive flexibility. We used the N-back paradigm with manipulations in task complexity and modality (visual (letters and shapes); auditory (pitches and timbres)) to examine whether long-term musical experiences affect working memory updating and cognitive flexibility. Our results revealed that the musicians were more accurate in working memory updating than their non-musician peers. Further, the musicians’ performance was significantly better in the pitch N-back task than in the timbre N-back. In contrast to accuracy, the groups did not differ in reaction time. Our first results support the notion that musical training may promote the development of certain cognitive control skills, but further research is needed to better understand this relationship.

Language Control and Code-Switching in Bilingual Children With Developmental Language Disorder.

The current study examined language control and code-switching in bilingual children with developmental language disorder (DLD) compared to bilingual peers with typical language development (TLD). In addition, proficiency in each language and cognitive control skills were examined as predictors of children's tendency to engage in cross-speaker and intrasentential code-switching. The participants were 62 Spanish/English bilingual children, ages 4;0-6;11 (years;months), including 15 children with DLD and 47 children with TLD. In a scripted confederate dialogue task to measure language control, children took turns describing picture scenes with video partners who were monolingual speakers of English or Spanish. The Dimensional Change Card Sort indexed cognitive control, the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment assisted in identifying DLD, and parent ratings from the Inventory to Assess Language Knowledge indexed proficiency in Spanish and English. Children with DLD were more likely to engage in cross-speaker code-switching from Spanish to English (i.e., responding in English when addressed in Spanish) than children with TLD, even when controlling for proficiency in each language. Intrasentential code-switching (i.e., integrating both languages within an utterance) did not differ between groups. Cognitive control was more associated with cross-speaker than with intrasentential code-switching. These findings highlight the need to consider cross-speaker and intrasentential code-switching separately when seeking distinguishing features of code-switching in bilingual children with DLD. The use of increased cross-speaker code-switching by children with DLD especially with Spanish speakers highlights the need for increased support of home language use.

Vocabulary limitations undermine bilingual children’s reading comprehension despite bilingual cognitive strengths

Previous research reported bilingual cognitive strengths in working memory, executive function and novel-word learning skills (Bialystok in Psychol Bull 143:233–262, 2017; Kaushanskaya and Marian in Psychon Bull Rev 16:705–710, 2009). These skills should also support bilingual children’s vocabulary and reading development, yet bilingual children show weaknesses in their second language vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. Our primary aim was to clarify these seemingly paradoxical reports by investigating the cognitive strengths and weaknesses associated with both bilingual experience and reading comprehension in a single study. The participants were 102 English-speaking monolingual children and 104 Hindi/Urdu-English speaking bilingual children (mean age = 118.26 months, SD = 11.23 months) in the UK. We tested children’s vocabulary, working memory, executive function (cognitive inhibition, updating memory), novel-word learning, and reading skills. All testing was conducted in English. The findings supported the previous reports of bilingual cognitive strengths in working memory, novel-word learning and cognitive inhibition skills. However, despite their cognitive strengths and adequate word reading skills, the bilingual group displayed weaker reading comprehension than their monolingual peers. As anticipated, there was a direct association between bilingual children’s smaller English vocabulary size and underperformance on reading comprehension. Along with word reading, vocabulary was the most powerful unique predictor of reading comprehension. The effects of cognitive control skills on reading comprehension were mixed and mostly indirect through word reading skills. These relations were comparable across the monolingual and bilingual groups. Together, our findings highlighted the importance of clear educational policies on oral language assessment and support in our increasingly multilingual classrooms.

OXTR Gene DNA Methylation Levels Are Associated with Discounting Behavior with Untrustworthy Proposers.

Individual differences in temporal and probabilistic discounting are associated with a wide range of life outcomes in literature. Traditional approaches have focused on impulsiveness and cognitive control skills, on goal-oriented personality traits as well as on the psychological perception of time. More recently, literature started to consider the role of social and contextual factors in discounting behavior. Between others, higher generalized trust in human beings and specific trust in people who will deliver the future/probabilistic rewards have been related to a stronger willingness to wait and to assume risk. Moreover, the tendency to trust others has been associated with the oxytocin receptor gene regulation that can be modified by life experiences. In this perspective, we hypothesized that differences in the tendency to wait and to take risks for a more desirable reward according to the proposer’s trustworthiness could be related to a different level of DNA methylation at the oxytocin receptor gene. Findings confirmed that participants are less willing to wait and to risk when the proposer is considered highly untrustworthy and revealed how higher oxytocin receptor gene DNA methylation is associated with a stronger effect due to the presence of an untrustworthy proposer. Limits and future directions are outlined.

Peculiarities of the Psychological Component in the Archery Long-Term Training System in Different Countries (Review)

The objective is analysis and evaluation of the psychological training component in the long-term archery training system in different countries at the present sport development stage. Materials and methods. Theoretical review of scientific and educational sources, their systematization, comparison, and results generalization were done. Through the Internet search engines Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google, scientific and educational publications were searched for "archery" and "psychological training" in different languages: Ukrainian, English, Korean, Italian, Russian, German, French. 90 sources were found, of which 65 were relevant to the subject. Results. Only in archery psychological training is not allocated to a separate type of long-term training for complex coordination sports in Ukraine. In all countries that were winners of the last Olympic Games, psychological training has been systematically introduced into the sport training of archers. Ukraine, where psychological training has not been implemented, was the last to win in 2008. Archery is a sport that differs significantly from others in monotony, subtle, slow, and low motor activity, as well as contradictions in physiological reserves management, including energy, which must be mobilized without a significant increase in heart rate and sweating. Archers face specific psychological problems, namely, "target panic". The key psychological qualities that are in demand in archery involve "4C" complex – Control, Challenge, Commitment and Confidence, and mastery of coping strategies to overcome aversive states in sports. Also important is the development of various attention types. Psychological assistance to an archer should include proven methods of cognitive and emotional control skills training. Conclusions. The development of psychological training component can help to improve results of Ukrainian national archery teams, and it is important to include it in the sport’s training plan at all stages of athlete’s long-term training.

Mediated semantic priming interference in toddlers as seen through pupil dynamics

Mediated priming refers to the activation of a target word by a prime word through an intermediate word. This type of priming provides behavioral evidence of between- and within-level spreading activation in the lexical system. Studies of toddlers show phonosemantic between-level mediated priming that supports a cascade of activation between different levels of processing. However, it is not clear whether the activation can spread freely within the same level. This study explored whether 24-month-old toddlers show mediated priming effects at the semantic level (e.g., cat [prime] – mouse [mediator] – cheese [target]) with a preferential looking task using an eye tracker. The results show a smaller proportion of target looking and greater pupil size in the related condition than in the unrelated condition; these effects were greater in the second half of the analysis window. We interpret these data as a spreading activation that is partially free but modulated during infancy. We also provide evidence of pupil dilation as a neurophysiological marker in a preferential looking task with priming. We discuss the results in light of the cognitive control, inhibition, and general cognitive skills of toddlers.

Associations among response inhibition, motivational beliefs, and task persistence in early elementary school

Task persistence is an important learning-related behavior associated with academic success. Although persistence has been related to motivational beliefs and cognitive skills, these constructs are typically studied independently, limiting our understanding of relations among them. The current investigation was designed to understand how these concepts are related in early elementary school, a developmental period characterized by high motivational beliefs, growth in cognitive control, and the transition to school. Interest, perceived competence, and response inhibition were evaluated as predictors of children’s (N = 73, Mage = 6.91 years) likelihood to demonstrate high persistence on a challenging puzzle task. Results provided evidence that motivational constructs are not sufficient for understanding differences in persistent behavior during this developmental period. Specifically, relations between interest and perceived competence and task persistence were present only for children with moderate to high response inhibition skills. Moreover, gender differences in task persistence emerged, indicating that although interest and perceived competence motivated all students to exhibit persistence, girls were still more likely to demonstrate task persistence than boys. Overall, findings suggest that task persistence in elementary school is a complex behavior that requires both cognitive control skills to support engagement and the motivation to continue engaging as task difficulty increases.

Processing of Code-Switched Sentences in Noise by Bilingual Children

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of code-switching on bilingual children's online processing and offline comprehension of sentences in the presence of noise. In addition, the study examined individual differences in language ability and cognitive control skills as moderators of children's ability to process code-switched sentences in noise. Method The participants were 50 Spanish-English bilingual children, ages 7;0-11;8 (years;months). Children completed an auditory moving window task to examine whether they processed sentences with code-switching more slowly and less accurately than single-language sentences in the presence of noise. They completed the Dimensional Change Card Sort task to index cognitive control and standardized language measures in English and Spanish to index relative language dominance and overall language ability. Results Children were significantly less accurate in answering offline comprehension questions about code-switched sentences presented in noise compared to single-language sentences, especially for their dominant language. They also tended to exhibit slower processing speed, but costs did not reach significance. Language ability had an overall effect on offline comprehension but did not moderate the effects of code-switching. Cognitive control moderated the extent to which offline comprehension costs were affected by language dominance. Conclusions The findings of the current study suggest that code-switching, especially in the presence of background noise, may place additional demands on children's ability to comprehend sentences. However, it may be the processing of the nondominant language, rather than code-switching per se, that is especially difficult in the presence of noise.

Development and Initial Validation of a Scale Measuring Young Children’s Self-Perceptions of Trait Cognitive Control

ABSTRACT Cognitive control skills in early life are vital to success throughout the lifespan. Such skills have been positively linked to a host of important short- and long-term outcomes across many diverse domains. Similarly, self-perceptions such as self-efficacy, implicit beliefs about cognition, and self-concept have all been shown to predict meaningful variance in important outcomes like academic performance over and above measures of cognitive ability. To what extent do young children have a self-perception of their own level of cognitive control functioning? To date, no measures have been developed to assess young children’s perceptions of their own skills in this regard. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a scale capturing children’s self-perceptions of their cognitive control skills via a puppet interview. Scale analyses of interviews from 125 children aged 4 through 7 years suggest the scale elicits responses that cluster around two correlated, but separable components: 1) Self- and Emotion-Regulation, and 2) Attention Modulation. Responses on these two subscales showed moderate to strong internal consistency, were strongly correlated with parent reports of similar skills, and self-reports of related constructs, but showed no systematic relation to behavioral tasks measuring executive functioning abilities. The findings suggest that young children are capable of reflecting and reporting on their own cognitive control skills and that these skills correspond to parent reports of similar abilities. Further scale refinement and targeted validation efforts are needed; however, these encouraging early results suggest the new scale holds potential to uncover how children’s self-perceptions influence their learning success.