Thursday 23 July 09:50
- 11:20
Hall: 13 - Room 10 SA
Chair and Presenter:
Traverso Laura
Discussant:
Panesi Sabrina
Division: Division 5: Education and School Psychology
In last decades, numerous studies on executive functions (EF) in children have examined their
development, influencing factors, and connections with other domains, particularly academic achievement.
Research has also explored strategies to enhance EF and the relationship between these cognitive abilities
and variables that support self-regulation. This symposium brings together diverse contributions that
address less-explored aspects of EF literature, presenting new challenges and opportunities to better
support children's EF development. It is well-established that EF undergo significant growth during the
preschool years, and many studies have focused on this critical stage, leveraging various assessment
tools. However, fewer resources are available for assessing EF in early childhood. Chiara Pecini's
contribution addresses this gap by exploring EF assessment methods for children aged 12 to 36 months
and examining the role of variables that influence EF development in this age group. Sarah Bardack's research shifts the focus to the role of EF in a school competency training program in Malawi. This study
introduces novel elements, including conducting EF research in under-explored cultural contexts and
investigating how EF impacts the results of learning interventions. Ebru Gear's contribution examines
individual differences in EF task performance. While most studiesemphasizetheeffectsoftraining
programs to promote EF, Gear investigates how children's ability to recognize their mistakes influences
their EF task performance. This approach highlights the importance of monitoring processes, which is an
under-studied factor in EF development. Lastly,Laura Traverso's study explores the impact of manipulating
specific variables, such as mental state, during EF tasks on children's performance. Although context
related variables have been extensively studied in other psychological domains, their role in EF research
remains less investigated. In summary, this symposium presents four distinct research contributions, each
addressing unconventional and under-examined aspects of EF literature. The discussant, Sabrina Panesi,
will provide an integrative commentary, highlighting these innovative approachesandfosteringadiscussion
on thechallengesandpotentialbenefitsthey bring tothefield.
