title: A developmental window into trade-offs in executive function: the case of task switching versus response inhibition in 6-year-olds.
abstract: Good executive function has been linked to many positive outcomes in academic performance, health, and social competence. However, some aspects of executive function may interfere with other cognitive processes. Childhood provides a unique test case for investigating such cognitive trade-offs, given the dramatic failures and developments observed during this period. For example, most children categorically switch or perseverate when asked to switch between rules on a card-sorting task. To test potential trade-offs with the development of task switching abilities, we compared 6-year-olds who switched versus perseverated in a card-sorting task on two aspects of inhibitory control: response inhibition (via a stop signal task) and interference control (via a Simon task). Across two studies, switchers showed worse response inhibition than perseverators, consistent with the idea of cognitive trade-offs; however, switchers showed better interference control than perseverators, consistent with prior work documenting benefits associated with the development of executive function. This pattern of positive and negative associations may reflect aspects of working memory (active maintenance of current goals, and clearing of prior goals) that help children focus on a single task goal but hurt in situations with conflicting goals. Implications for understanding components of executive function and their relationships across development are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA; Department of Psychology, Salem College, 601 S. Church Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA. Electronic address: katharine.blackwell@salem.edu.
authors.forename: Katharine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Blackwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, 190 Thayer Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chatham
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3; LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3.
authors.forename: Melody
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiseheart
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0345, USA.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Munakata
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological
keywords: Cognitive development; Executive function; Response inhibition; Task switching