Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

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
PubMed

Insights

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.

More Related Videos

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition01:24

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are themselves.
Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development01:17

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...