Shifting development in mid-childhood: the influence of between-task interference

Cragg, Lucy and Nation, Kate (2009) Shifting development in mid-childhood: the influence of between-task interference. Developmental Psychology, 45 (5). pp. 1465-1479. ISSN 0012-1649

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Performance on the task-switching paradigm is greatly affected by the amount of conflict between tasks. Compared to adults, children appear to be particularly influenced by this conflict, suggesting that the ability to resolve interference between tasks improves with age. We used the task-switching paradigm to investigate how this ability develops in mid-childhood. Experiment 1 compared 5- to 8-year-olds’ and 9- to 11-year-olds’ ability to switch between decisions about the colour of an object and its shape. The 5- to 8-year-olds were slower to switch task and experienced more interference from the irrelevant task than the 9-to 11-year-olds, suggesting a developmental improvement in resolving conflict between tasks during mid-childhood. Experiment 2 explored this further, examining the influence of stimulus and response interference at different ages. This was done by separating the colour and shape dimensions of the stimulus and reducing overlap between responses. The results supported the development of conflict resolution in task-switching during mid-childhood. They also revealed that a complex interplay of factors, including the tasks used and previous experience with the task, affected children’s shifting performance.

Item Type: Article
RIS ID: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1013602
Keywords: executive function, task-switching, development, congruence
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Science > School of Psychology
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015360
Related URLs:
URLURL Type
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User: Cragg, Dr Lucy
Date Deposited: 21 Sep 2009 15:23
Last Modified: 04 May 2020 20:26
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/1121

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View