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Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Childhood rituals and executive functions
Jenifer Tregay1, Jane Gilmour, Tony Charman
1Behavioural and Brain Sciences Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|December 10, 2009
Summary
This study found cognitive flexibility is linked to repetitive and ritualistic behaviours (RRBs) in typically developing children. This association strengthens with age, particularly for
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Repetitive and ritualistic behaviours (RRBs) are observed in both typical and atypical development.
- Cognitive correlates of RRBs are well-studied in neurodevelopmental conditions but less so in typical development.
- Executive functions (EF) are crucial cognitive processes implicated in behaviour regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between RRBs and specific executive functions (EF) in typically developing children.
- To explore how this relationship may differ across age groups within early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Assessed RRBs and executive functions (cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, generativity) in typically developing children (37-107 months).
- Utilized correlational analyses to determine the strength of associations between RRBs and EF components.
- Compared associations in younger (<67.5 months) and older (>67.5 months) children.
Main Results:
- Cognitive flexibility showed the strongest association with the frequency of RRBs.
- Response inhibition and generativity were not significantly associated with RRBs in this sample.
- In younger children, cognitive flexibility linked to 'Repetitive Behaviour'; in older children, it linked to both 'Just Right' behaviours and 'Repetitive Behaviour'.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive flexibility is a key cognitive correlate of RRBs in typically developing children.
- The association between executive functions and RRBs appears to strengthen and broaden with age.
- Findings suggest EF development plays a role in the manifestation of RRBs during childhood.
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