Semantic fluency in 3-6 years old preschoolers: which executive functions?

IF 1.6 3区心理学 Q3 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY Child Neuropsychology Pub Date : 2024-05-01 Epub Date: 2023-07-04 DOI:10.1080/09297049.2023.2230637

Costanza Ruffini, Fatbardha Osmani, Lucia Bigozzi, Chiara Pecini

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Abstract

Semantic Fluency (SF) increases with age, along with the lexicon and the strategies to access it. Among the cognitive processes involved in controlling lexical access, Executive Functions (EF) play an essential role. Nevertheless, which EF, namely inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, are specifically tapped by SF during preschool years, when these basic EF components are developing and differentiating, is still unknown. The study had a two-fold aim: 1. to analyze in preschoolers the role of EF basic components on SF; 2. to investigate if EF mediated the effect of age on SF. A total of 296 typically developing preschoolers (M age = 57.86; SD = 9.91; month range = 33-74) were assessed with an SF task and EF tasks measuring the main EF basic components. Results showed that during preschool, response inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility were significant predictors of SF, explaining 27% of its variance. Moreover, the effect of age on the SF task performance correlated with the improvement of these EF components. This study supports the importance of considering cognitive control processes in 3-6 year-old preschoolers as they underline important competencies for the child's development, such as the ability to quickly access vocabulary.

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3-6 岁学龄前儿童的语义流畅性：哪些执行功能？

随着年龄的增长，语义流畅性（SF）也在增加，同时增加的还有词汇量和使用词汇的策略。在控制词汇获取的认知过程中，执行功能（EF）发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，在学龄前阶段，当这些基本的执行功能正在发展和分化的时候，SF 具体利用了哪些执行功能，即抑制、工作记忆和认知灵活性，目前仍不得而知。本研究有两个目的：1.分析学龄前儿童的EF基本成分对SF的作用；2.研究EF是否介导了年龄对SF的影响。研究人员对 296 名发育正常的学龄前儿童（中位年龄 = 57.86；标度 = 9.91；月数范围 = 33-74）进行了 SF 任务和 EF 任务评估，这些任务测量了主要的 EF 基本成分。结果表明，在学龄前，反应抑制、工作记忆和认知灵活性对 SF 有显著的预测作用，可解释其 27% 的变异。此外，年龄对 SF 任务表现的影响与这些 EF 要素的改善相关。本研究支持考虑 3-6 岁学龄前儿童认知控制过程的重要性，因为它们强调了儿童发展的重要能力，如快速获取词汇的能力。

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来源期刊

Child Neuropsychology 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

9.10%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The purposes of Child Neuropsychology are to: publish research on the neuropsychological effects of disorders which affect brain functioning in children and adolescents, publish research on the neuropsychological dimensions of development in childhood and adolescence and promote the integration of theory, method and research findings in child/developmental neuropsychology. The primary emphasis of Child Neuropsychology is to publish original empirical research. Theoretical and methodological papers and theoretically relevant case studies are welcome. Critical reviews of topics pertinent to child/developmental neuropsychology are encouraged. Emphases of interest include the following: information processing mechanisms; the impact of injury or disease on neuropsychological functioning; behavioral cognitive and pharmacological approaches to treatment/intervention; psychosocial correlates of neuropsychological dysfunction; definitive normative, reliability, and validity studies of psychometric and other procedures used in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents. Articles on both normal and dysfunctional development that are relevant to the aforementioned dimensions are welcome. Multiple approaches (e.g., basic, applied, clinical) and multiple methodologies (e.g., cross-sectional, longitudinal, experimental, multivariate, correlational) are appropriate. Books, media, and software reviews will be published.