Lecture 1 & Kennisclip 1 en 2

Question 1

What is executive functioning also called?

Answer 1

air traffic control system

Question 2

DEFINITION EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING

Answer 2

Umbrella term for various cognitive processes that
give rise to goal-directed behavior
- NOVEL AND demanding situations
- Felxible adjustment
- Adaptive behaviour and creativity

Question 3

Three core components

Answer 3

• Working memory –> manipulation (recite phone number in backward manner)
• Inhibitory control –> supress interfering thoughts and actions, they are not relevant
• cognitive flexibility –> switching, to change our behaviour.

(it is a changing field, could be five in a couple of years)

Question 4

If you combine these three core components, what do you get?

Answer 4

Higher order components of processing:
Planning, reasoning, problem solving, performance monitoring

Question 5

Which component has updated during adolescence?

Answer 5

Inhibitory control, the other two still go into adulthood

Question 6

Measures of simple executive functioning

Answer 6

only measures one of the components, so only cognitive flexibility, working memory, or inhibitory control

Question 7

measures of complex executive functioning

Answer 7

they can measure a larger part of the core components, like the marshmallow task, day and night task, the dimensional card change sorting task. Some trials you have to select on colors, the other ones on shape

Question 8

BRIEF

Answer 8

Filled out by teachers and or parents. Often used in clinical practice or school setting to assess executive functioning in 5-18 year olds. Behaviour, emotional and cognitive regulation index.

Question 9

BRIEF 2

Answer 9

also 11-18 years olds can fill out a form!

Question 10

Executive functions rely mostly on..

Answer 10

the prefrontal cortex function.

Question 11

do the executive functions have an area of their own? And yes, do they work seperately or together?

Answer 11

Yes, they do. But they are part of a bigger machine. They don’t work solo.

Question 12

What can we see of the brain with a MRI scan?

Answer 12

The structure of the brain. Think about a black and white image.

Question 13

What can we see of the brain with a fMRI scan?

Answer 13

Here we can see the functions of the brain during a task and connectivity (which brain areas are more connected with each other)

Question 14

What is the substraction method when measuring brain function during task related fMRI?

Answer 14

The fMRI scan makes functional images of the brain every 2 seconds of brain vossels (they are really small). Condition 1 is no inhibiton for example and condition 2 is inhibition. So they substract condition 1 of condition 2 = substraction method. Important: change one aspect of the design! So in this case, inhibition.

Question 15

What was the conclusion about feedback learning performance tasks from Peters, van der Meulen, Zanolie & Crone (2017)?

Answer 15

The better they were at performing that learning task, the better they were 2 years later at performing the reading fluency and mathematics test. So the feedback learning performance task and neural acitivity predicst real world learning. And age didn’t matter. the more activity they had in their brain functions, they better they did at certain tasks.

Question 16

Do adolescents, like 16 year olds, gave an executive function deficit?

Answer 16

No definitely not. Their PFC ar ebetter than in childhood, although not fully developed yet, but peak in emotional sensitivity. They are more busy with the emotional and social aspects of their life. So it’s not that they don’t have all the executive functions, it’s just that they are busy with different aspects than children and adults would have. they sometimes have the overhand, but not always.

Question 17

Which brian areas develop the last?

Answer 17

Changes in gray matter differ per region. The preforntal cortex develops as last! (the blue areas get pruned)

Question 18

What does it mean when we say “imbalance in adolescence seems like poor exective function”?

Answer 18

The limbic regions of the brain develop earlier than de prefrontal control regions, so adolescents may act upon their emotionels aspects of the brain first. This is why it seems like poor executive function, but it’s just that the prefrontal control regions haven’t developed yet. That’s why they act more impulsively or why they make stupid mistakes.

Question 19

Do adolescents have a better EF compared to children?

Answer 19

They do, not worse iig. But they are driven by immediate rewards.

Question 20

What was the conlcusion of the longtidunal study of Casey et al 2011? Over

Answer 20

Marshmallow test performance at age 4 –> inhibitory control 40 years control. They did this with a MRI scanner. Experimental hot condition: fearful face: go and happy face no! control cool task: neutral faces, so male faces go and female faces nogo. They saw that the high delayers on the hot task did better than the low delayers. There was an ability to suppress Go reaction to happy faces in adulthood is associated with ability to self regulate at age 4.

Question 21

What are some implications of the study of Casey et al. (2011)?

Answer 21

• Individual differences appear early in development
• What is the role of SES?
• Can we improve EF? Effective interventions

Question 22

Explain the executive functioning in a way of air traffic control system.

Answer 22

• Concentration
• Juggling multiple demands
• Adapting to changing circumstances
• Working with others
• Dealing with setbacks
• Inhibiting immediate rewards

Question 23

What are consequences of low executive functioning?

Answer 23

• worse school performance
• difficulty keeping jobs
• Lower income
• Difficulties maintaining relationships
• Increased risk of mental health problemens

So early identification can help a child.

Question 24

Definition of working memory

Answer 24

The ability to hold information in mind (maintenance) and mentally work with it (manipulation)

Question 25

Inhibitory control

Answer 25

the ability to surpress interfering thought and actions that are not releant to the task at hand

Question 26

cognitive flexibility

Answer 26

the ability to change one’s perspective or approach to a problem, flexibly adjusting to new demands, rules, or priorities

Question 27

What seems to overlap all the components:

Answer 27

Cognitive flexibility. You need inhibitory control and working memory. Inhibit the old strategy, and remember new strategy.

Question 28

Go/No Go task

Answer 28

The Go/No-go task is a simple experimental paradigm that requires participants to respond by pressing a button when they see a “go” signal, and not respond when they see the “no-go” signal. The key behaviour measured with this experiment is the participants’ ability to withhold a response on No-go trials

Question 29

What is a conclusion about Go/No go tasks?

Answer 29

The many more GOs before the No GOS, the more errors people make!

Question 30

What is a conclusion of the go/no go task about people with ADHD?

Answer 30

People with ADHD tend to do bad when there’s only go before de NoGo.

Question 31

What are the advantages and disadvantages of measures of simple ef?

Answer 31

Advantages:
- Better predictorsof EF i. daily life
- Better predictor of school performance

Disadvantages:
- more difficult to identify disability
- more difficult to track development

Question 32

What is the Tower of London and what can we conclude?

Answer 32

starting position –> goal position (with balls)
Adults took more time to start the task, they have more cognitive flexibility compared to the adolescents

Question 33

Why is the stroop task not a good way to meet inhibtion by kids?

Answer 33

|Kids may be better than adults, because they can’t read as well yet.

Question 34

Dimensional change Card sorting test

Answer 34

With blue/red trucks and flowers.

Question 35

What is perseverate ?

Answer 35

CHILDREN DO THIS DURING THE DCCS.
they are unable to shift their behaviour. Even though they know the new rule.

Question 36

What is the normal age for cognitive flexibility?

Answer 36

4 year old?

Question 37

What diud a study from Kirkham et al. 2003 conclude about cognitive flexibility and the DCCS task with 3 year olds?

Answer 37

Most 3 year olds can do it, but it’s the task difficulty that’s making it hard.