Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

The Use of the Puzzle Box as a Means of Assessing the Efficacy of Environmental Enrichment
Published on: December 29, 2014
The role of inhibitory control in children's cooperative behaviors during a structured puzzle task
Fabrizia Giannotta1, William J Burk, Silvia Ciairano
1Center for Developmental Research, School of Law, Psychology, and Social Work (JPS), Örebro University, 701 82 Örebro, Sweden. fabrizia.giannotta@oru.se
Abstract:
This study examined the role of inhibitory control (measured by Stroop interference) in children's cooperative behaviors during a structured puzzle task. The sample consisted of 250 8-, 10-, and 12-year-olds (117 girls and 133 boys) attending classrooms in three primary schools in Northern Italy. Children individually completed an elaborated Stroop task, were paired with classmates into 125 dyads, and were observed during a 10-min puzzle task. Results confirmed that interaction partners exhibited similar levels of cooperative behaviors, and the cooperative behaviors of children predicted changes in the cooperative behaviors of their partners throughout the puzzle task. Cooperative behaviors of each interaction partner were predicted by the child's own inhibitory control as well as the inhibitory control of the partner. Findings are discussed within a developmental contextual framework.
Related Concept Videos
Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...
Feedback Inhibition
Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...
Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development
Problem-Solving
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...
