Browsing by Subject "Executive function"
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Item Assessment of motor skills and functional performance in pediatric population(2015-05) Umarji, Nupoor Madhusudan; Jensen, Jody L.; Abraham, Dr LawrenceThe early years (1-7 years) provide a window of opportunity to develop fundamental movement skills (FMS) and these are evident during sports and recreational activities. If children cannot build a diverse motor repertoire during the fundamental period they may face a 'proficiency barrier' to gain expertise in context specific movement skills. For typical 7 year olds we make the assumption that their cognitive-motor skills qualify them to perform complex movement activities, however children with neurodevelopmental delay (ND) have been shown to have deficits in cognitive as well as motor functions. A variety of assessment tools are focused on physical competence for activities of daily living in this subset of population. However they are limited in providing information about activities that require coordination of movement sequencing and executive functions. Hence the purpose of this study was to assess and establish developmental trajectories of cognitive and complex motor functions in children and adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental delay. The assessment included an iPad based program that measured executive functions through tests of executive function, trail making test(TMT), reaction times, processing speed test (PST) and static balance on 39 subjects between the age of 7-14 years. The results showed that the choice reaction times were significantly higher in the ND group than the control group. The balance, TMT-B, and the PST showed weak significance but moderate effect size. The hop tests did not show significant differences between the two groups. These results depict the challenges faced by the ND group when subject to complex tasks requiring advanced skills.Item Consistent performance differences despite manipulation of cue switching variables in children and adults(2015-08) Bodenhamer, Jessie Raye; Church-Lang, Jessica; Maddox, ToddTo compare the stability of task-switching abilities across children and adults, we created a task with four goals in mind. First, we aimed to test whether certain task manipulations would reduce differences in adult and child performance. We created a nine level switching task, with changes in response choice consistency, number of response choices, and number of cued tasks. Second, we wanted to assess possible performance transitions within the child age group. We did this by subdividing the child group into smaller age bins. Third, we aimed to measure any short-term improvement across the study session. To do so, we compared responses from the first level of the task to an identically formatted level 10. Finally, we created a second study to investigate the effects of a higher working memory demand With respect to our first goal, attempts to reduce differences in adult and child performance were largely unsuccessful; children were consistently slower, less accurate, and more affected by task-level manipulations than adults. Our performance assessment within the child group identified a transition where participants as young as 12 years in Experiment 1 and 14 years in Experiment 2 displayed more adult-like responses in response times. In both studies, as the child age increased, we observed gradual improvement in accuracy. Regarding our third goal, we found similar amounts of improvement in both response time and accuracy for both adult and child groups, despite the high starting level of performance in adults in both studies. Added cognitive demand in Experiment 2 promoted significantly more improvement in both age groups. Thus, these novel tasks temporarily improved task-switching abilities in children and adults within a single session. As a whole, these results reveal consistent differences in task switching performance between age groups, but also relative flexibility (in the short-term) within a given individual.Item Dichotomizing spelling errors to examine language and executive function abilities in children at risk of reading failure(2011-08) Kayser, Kimberly Anne; Nussbaum, Nancy; Carlson, Cindy I., 1949-; Allen, Greg; Beretvas, Tasha; Lasater, LisaSubstantial evidence emphasizing the importance of linguistic systems in reading acquisition, as well as emerging literature identifying the contribution of executive function to linguistic-based difficulties, underscores the importance of clarifying the neurocognitive mechanisms affecting reading performance. Research demonstrating the interrelationship between reading and spelling, coupled with neurocognitive theories of spelling, suggests that analysis of children’s spelling attempts may capture more subtle differences in their understanding of how to decode text. This study aimed to determine the utility of applying a spelling error analysis system as a method for differentiating between reading difficulties resulting from executive dysfunction or language deficits in a sample of children at risk for reading failure. The present study examined the relationship between executive function, language, and spelling achievement in a sample of 82 children aged 6-15 years identified as having a reading deficit and/or diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated language-based skills, particularly word reading, and age significantly predicted the phonemic equivalency of misspellings. Tasks of executive functioning were not found to significantly contribute to performance on phonological spelling; however, analysis of group differences suggest that ADHD and Reading Deficit groups demonstrated unique cognitive profiles, including distinct performances on executive functioning tasks. Exploratory analyses also revealed that ADHD and Reading Deficit groups differed significantly in phonological spelling performance. Results from the current study provide evidence for the presence of two distinct underlying cognitive processes affecting spelling and, in effect, reading. Current findings have implications for the need to further examine characteristic deficits in language and executive functioning affecting children at risk for reading failure. Findings also provide support for the validity of further investigating the potential to infer differential diagnostic categories using a phonological spelling analysis. The use of an analysis of spelling errors as a diagnostic data source holds promise for a better understanding of reading failure and, ultimately, may contribute to more effective intervention practices.Item How Hot or Cool is It to Speak Two Languages: Executive Function Advantages in Bilingual Children(2012-10-19) Weber, Rachel ChristianeAccording to the 2009 U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 57 million individuals, ages five and older, living in the United States spoke a language other than English at home. There is a clear and growing number of bilingual individuals and English Language Learners (ELL) in the United States. With these growing numbers, especially within the school-aged population, it is crucial that a clear understanding exist regarding the development of children who are bilingual or learning English as their second language. There is evidence that bilingual children differ from their monolingual peers in the development of executive function (EF), and specifically demonstrate some advantages on EF tasks. This research has not been expanded to include the new conceptualization of EF as hot and cool. This study seeks to examine bilingual EF advantages in EF in light of this recent conceptualization. A second goal of this study is to identify other psychosocial variables that predict EF in children and, thus, might impact its development. The variables of interest include socioeconomic status (SES), economic stress, parenting practices (e.g., disciplinary practices and relational frustration), and cultural beliefs (e.g., individualism/collectivism). A sample of 67 bilingual and monolingual English speaking children and their parents/guardians participated in this study. Children completed 4 EF tasks and parents completed a battery which included measures of the psychosocial variables and the BRIEF Parent Form. A MANCOVA model was utilized to examine bilingual differences in EF. Multiple regression models were also used to test for significant predictors of hot and cool EF and general EF (as measured by the BRIEF GEC) among the psychosocial variables. No significant group differences were found in multivariate analyses. Significant predictors of specific EF measures and hot and cool total scores were identified, including economic stress, age, relational frustration, vertical individualism, and vertical collectivism. These are discussed in light of current literature and clinical applications.Item Mothers’ depressive symptoms in infancy and children’s maladjustment in early grade school : the role of children’s sustained attention and executive function(2015-05) Wang, Yiji, Ph. D.; Dix, Theodore H.; Anderson, Edward; Bigler, Rebecca; Gershoff, Elizabeth T; Hazen-Swann, NancyUsing longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N=1,367), the current study examined the role of children’s sustained attention and executive function in promoting their adjustment difficulties in early grade school as mothers’ depressive symptoms increase in infancy. Findings demonstrated that, when mothers’ depressive symptoms were high in infancy, their children were at risk for poor sustained attention and executive function prior to school entry partly due to mothers’ tendencies to become insensitive. Children’s poor executive function in turn mediated the relation of mothers’ depressive symptoms in infancy to children’s poor cognitive and socioemotional adjustment in 3rd grade, independent of poor sustained attention. Findings also suggested the unique role of mothers’ depressive symptoms in infancy in predicting children’s poor sustained attention, but not executive function. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential role of children’s sustained attention and executive function in understanding the developmental risks children of depressed mothers face in early grade school.Item Processing speed and executive function in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors(2012-12) Garrison, Daniel Alexander; Carlson, Cindy I., 1949-; Robillard, Rachel WestThis study examined processing speed and executive function late effects in survivors of pediatric ALL (hereafter referred to as Survivors). Late effects are long-term, treatment-related health problems associated with the neurotoxic side-effect of cancer treatment on brain development. Processing speed —mental and motor speed with which a person can solve nonverbal problems — was estimated via an composite of processing speed attained from several measures of processing speed. Executive function — a collection of processes orchestrated in the performance of purposeful, goal-directed behavior — was measured using the Parent and Teacher forms of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). This study also explored the effect of previously identified risk factors for processing speed and executive function late effects. Finally, executive function late effects were further explored via the use of performance-based measures, including the Tower and Trail Making (Condition 4) tests of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Hypotheses included (1) Survivors would demonstrate significantly poorer processing speed; (2) late effects risk factor variables (i.e., greater elapsed time since completion of treatment, lower age at diagnosis, and higher intensity of treatment) would predict poorer processing speed; (3) female gender would predict poorer processing speed; (4) parents and teachers would demonstrate both low interrater agreement (Hypothesis 4a) and differ significantly in the severity (Hypothesis 4b) of their ratings of Survivor executive function; (5) parent and teacher ratings of executive function would indicate significantly poorer Survivor metacognition (Hypothesis 5a), whereas Survivor behavioral regulation would not differ significantly (Hypothesis 5b); (6) risk factor variables would predict poorer Parent and Teacher ratings of Survivor metacognition; (7) female gender would predict poorer Parent and Teacher ratings of Survivor metacognition; (8) survivor processing speed and Parent and Teacher ratings of executive function would exhibit a positive relationship; and (9) poorer Survivor processing speed would predict poorer parent and teacher ratings of executive function. Results provided support for hypothesis 1 and 5a. Partial support was obtained for hypotheses 4a, 4b, and 7. Hypotheses 2, 3, 5b, 6, 8, and 9 were not supported.