Development of set-shifting ability from late childhood through early adulthood.
This cross-sectional study examined the development of set-shifting ability from childhood into early adulthood. Six hundred and forty-nine participants (aged 8-30) were assessed on the verbal fluency, design fluency, trail making, color-word interference, and card sorting subtests of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Multiple regression analyses revealed modest effects of age and gender on set-shifting tasks, after controlling for IQ and component skills. The current study provides evidence for generally increased performance of set-shifting abilities through adolescence. Women overall had statistically better performance than men on all executive functioning tasks. There were significant age by gender interactions suggesting differential age-related improvements between men and women. On color-word interference and verbal fluency switching tasks, men tended to show larger improvements than women, whereas on a design fluency switching task, women showed larger improvements than men.
Kalkut
Erica Luboyeski
EL
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, USA.
Han
S Duke
SD
Lansing
Amy E
AE
Holdnack
James A
JA
Delis
Dean C
DC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012727:Sex Characteristics