Articlediamond2023

Voluntary Control of Cognitive Activity in Preschool Children: Age-dependent Changes from Ages 3-4 to 4-5

15 citations0/0 files storedPsychology in Russia State of Art

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology Early Childhood Education and Development Child and Animal Learning Development

Abstract

Background: Voluntary control of goal-directed behavior and mental activity in preschool children plays a key role in knowledge acquisition and future academic achievement. Studies of voluntary control have mainly concerned 6-8-year old children; much less is known about the ability to exercise voluntary control at early ages. Due to the high prognostic value of the level of development of voluntary control and heterogeneous development of their individual components, it seems actually useful to study age-related changes of these components in children from 3-4 to 4-5 years old. Objective: To compare age-related changes in executive functions (EF) in children age 3-4 years (mean age: 3.5±0.2 yrs; n = 49; 31 boys) and 4-5 years (mean age: 4.5±0.3 yrs; n = 70; 35 boys). Design: To assess the different components of EF we used: 1) a qualitative group and individual testing procedure based on the principles of Luria's theory of the dynamic localization and organization of higher mental functions; and 2) a computerized testing procedure which included the Bourdon-Wiersma cancellation test, the "Hearts and Flowers" conflict test (the Dots task), and the Corsi block-tapping test. Results: The results showed that different components of voluntary control developed at different rates (heterochronically): there were significant progressive changes from 3-4 to 4-5 years for working memory, assimilation of instructions, switching between separate actions, selective concentration on a target or task, and the distribution of attention. Some other components of EF did not show significant positive dynamics during this period. Conclusion: The results indicate the importance of applying the activity theory approach to the development of cognitive processes in preschool age.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 15 citations exist upstream.

References

2008Executive function in preschoolers: A review using an integrative framework.2004The Structure of Working Memory From 4 to 15 Years of Age.2006The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS): a method of assessing executive function in children 2009Investigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment 2013II. NIH TOOLBOX COGNITION BATTERY (CB): MEASURING EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ATTENTION 2011Executive function in early childhood: Longitudinal measurement invariance and developmental change.2012Charting early trajectories of executive control with the shape school.2018Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment in 6–9 Years-old Children

Cited by

2025Unity or Diversity in Executive Functions: Examining the Three‐Factor Model in Young Children 2025Eye movement strategies and executive functions in preschoolers: an eye-tracking study of toy preference

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.