Enhancing the executive functions of 3-year-olds in the Dimensional Change Card Sort task

Perone, Sammy, Molitor, Stephen J, Buss, Aaron T, Spencer, John P ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7320-144X and Samuelson, Larissa K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9141-3286 (2015) Enhancing the executive functions of 3-year-olds in the Dimensional Change Card Sort task. Child Development, 86 (3). pp. 812-827. ISSN 0009-3920

[thumbnail of FINAL_DCCS_ChildDevelopment_RVS]
Preview
PDF (FINAL_DCCS_ChildDevelopment_RVS) - Accepted Version
Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Executive functions enable flexible thinking, something young children are notoriously bad at. For instance, in the dimensional change card sort (DCCS) task, 3-year-olds can sort cards by one dimension (shape), but continue to sort by this dimension when asked to switch (to color). This study tests a prediction of a dynamic neural field model that prior experience with the postswitch dimension can enhance 3-year-olds' performance in the DCCS. In Experiment 1A, a matching game was used to preexpose 3-year-olds (n = 36) to color. This facilitated switching from sorting by shape to color. In , 3-year-olds (n = 18) were preexposed to shape. This did not facilitate switching from sorting by color to shape. The model was used to explain this asymmetry.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2014 The Authors. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 07 Dec 2015 13:00
Last Modified: 22 Oct 2022 00:25
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/55684
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12330

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item