title: A diffusion model analysis of developmental changes in children's task switching.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the underlying processes of the development of cognitive flexibility between childhood and young adulthood. We performed a diffusion model analysis on the reaction time and accuracy data from four age groups (7-, 11-, 15-, and 21-year-olds), who performed a task-switching task. We decomposed the data into processes related to the reconfiguration of the cognitive system to a new goal (i.e., task-set reconfiguration) and processes related to the interference of the previous task (i.e., task-set inertia). The developmental patterns of both processes indicated a relatively early maturing mechanism, associated with task-set inertia, and a later maturing mechanism, relating to task-set reconfiguration. This pattern of results was interpreted in terms of the development of the neural mechanisms involved in task switching, that is, the (pre-)supplementary motor area and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Educational Neuroscience and LEARN! Research Institute, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: w.d.weeda@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Wouter D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Weeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maurits W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: van der Molen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barceló
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Neuroscience and LEARN! Research Institute, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariëtte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huizinga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive flexibility; Development; Diffusion model analysis; Inertia; Task switching; Task-set reconfiguration