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Emerging evidence indicates that acute exercise improves executive function, but its effects on higher-order executive functioning skills among people with a risk of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. This study addressed the effects of acute exercise on the planning dimension of executive function among late middle-age adults who carried Apolipoprotein (APOE)-É4. Exercise volume was kept constant, but exercise intensity and duration were manipulated. Eighteen adults in the age range 55-70 years who carried APOE-É4 were recruited for a laboratory-based study set in a within-subjects, counterbalanced design. There was a reading control condition along with three exercise conditions: Acute cycle exercise at a moderate intensity for 30 min (MI-30); higher intensity exercise of a shorter duration (16 min); and lower intensity exercise of a longer duration (40 min). Exercise volume was set with reference to energy expenditure in MI-30. The Tower of London Test was administered at the end of each condition. Acute aerobic exercise improved cognitive performance in regard to move-related scores and time-related scores, but not violation-related scores, when compared to the control condition. There was no difference in terms of the facilitation effect among the three exercise conditions. The present findings indicate that acute aerobic exercise, regardless of intensity/duration manipulation, facilitates higher-order executive function in late middle-aged APOE-É4 carriers. Practitioners should, accordingly, consider exercise as a suitable intervention for those at risk of Alzheimer's disease., Author(s): Yu-Kai Chang [sup.1] [sup.2] , Costas I. Karageorghis [sup.3] , Chun-Chin Wang [sup.4] , Ruei-Hong Li [sup.1] , Feng-Tzu Chen [sup.5] , Ren-Yu Fang [sup.1] , Tsung-Min Hung [sup.1] [...]

Physical activities have a great role in the physical health of children; however, their role in the brain development and the cognitive functions of children has not been widely investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is investigating the mediating role of alpha, beta and theta brainwaves in the relationship between the physical activity and the executive function of healthy children. In the present study, in a sample of 133 children, aged 6 to 12 years (M.sub.age:9.45 ± 0.87, 54.89% boys), the duration of physical activity, the daily executive function and electroencephalograph were used for measuring the brainwaves in the resting state. The results showed that there is a direct and positive relationship between the physical activity and the daily executive function of children (p = 0.001 and [beta] = 460, t = 9.34). In addition, there is a positive and significant relationship between the physical activity and alpha ([beta] = 0.45, t = 9.03) and beta ([beta] = 0.38, t = 7.73) waves. Moreover, there is a positive and significant relationship between the daily executive function and alpha ([beta] = 0.45, t = 9.03) and beta ([beta] = 0.38, t = 7.73) waves. Therefore, alpha and beta waves could mediate the relationship between the duration of physical activity and the executive function of children; while, the theta wave could not. It is recommended that to develop physical activity time based on the needs of executive function. Moreover, to boost the theta brainwave, use more complicated cognitive activities and to set time limitations in cognitive task., Author(s): Seyedeh Manizheh Arabi [sup.1] , Sakineh Soltani Kouhbanani [sup.2] , Vahideh Velayati Haghighi [sup.3] , Monireh Asadi Ghaleni [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411807.b, 0000 0000 9828 9578, Department of [...]

Theories posit that the quality of teacher-child interactions has a profound influence on children's development of executive function skills. However, prior research has yielded mixed findings regarding the associations between teacher-child interaction quality as measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and children's executive function. In an attempt to examine the inconsistent findings, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the associations between the three CLASS domains (i.e. Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support) and children's gains in executive function. The systematic review presented an overview of the methodological approaches applied in the included studies. The meta-analysis examined the magnitude of the overall effects of CLASS domains on children's executive function. Four databases (i.e., PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, and ERIC) and Google Scholar were used to search and locate relevant studies, leading to the identification and inclusion of Sixteen articles (published from 2009 to 2021) that met the inclusion criteria. Results of a random-effects model indicated that the overall effect sizes for all three CLASS domains were significant but small in magnitude (from 0.06 to 0.09). Our research findings did not provide strong support for the link between CLASS domains and children's executive function. We argue that it is necessary to revise and expand the current quality measures that focus on general teacher-child interactions., Author(s): Shuang Wang [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hongbin Xie [sup.3] , Jin Huang [sup.1] [sup.2] , Luyao Liang [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.22069.3f, 0000 0004 0369 6365, Faculty of Education, East [...]

This study is an examination of similarities and discrepancies between performance-based measures and ratings (parents and teachers) of executive function in children. Data were collected from 200 Turkish children (103 boys) and, their parents and teachers. Children's ages ranged from 36 to 71 months (M = 54.01, SD = 9.65). Parents and teachers reported on children's executive function using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire and Children's Executive Functioning Inventory. We used eight structured tasks of The Executive Function Touch to assess children's performance-based executive function. Primarily, based on confirmatory factor analysis, the unidimensional structure of the EF Touch was confirmed with Turkish children. Poor agreement between performance-based and ratings (parents and teachers) was found. In addition, there were also discrepancies between parents and teachers in their ratings of children's executive function. These observed discrepancies highlight the importance of multi-informant measures of children's executive function for comprehensive understanding., Author(s): Beyza Hamamci [sup.1] , Ibrahim H. Acar [sup.2] , Gulden Uyanik [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.506076.2, 0000 0004 1797 5496, Department of Early Childhood Education, Hasan Âli Yücel Faculty [...]

Brain connectivity of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is heterogenous, as are the behavioral manifestations. The current study investigated brain-behavior relationships in the context of social skills and executive function profiles with data from the Autism Brain Imaging Database Exchange II. We calculated connectivity measures from diffusion tensor imaging using Bayesian estimation and probabilistic tractography. Subsequently, we performed structural equation modeling by regressing three latent factors, yielded from an exploratory factor analysis, onto total default mode network (DMN) connectivity. Both social regulation processing and self-directed cognitive processing factors moderately, negatively correlated with total DMN connectivity. Our findings indicate social regulation processing difficulties in youth with ASD may be attributable to impaired connectivity between the anterior and posterior DMN., Author(s): Jessica Blume [sup.1] , Chanaka Kahathuduwa [sup.2] , Ann Mastergeorge [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.264784.b, 0000 0001 2186 7496, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, [...]

The effect of environmental conditions on children's brain function is of paramount importance. The goal of this study was to examine the role of home environment on executive function (EF) in 6-12-year-old children through the mediating role of alpha, beta, and theta brain waves. Parents of 133 children filled out the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and Home Executive Function Environment (HEFE). Children's brain waves were also assessed. Data were analyzed using correlation and path analysis. The results suggested that there is a positive and significant relationship with mediating role of alpha and beta brain waves, between HEFE and BDEFS. Findings of this study supported the idea that environmental factors such as HEFE affect the function of brain waves and thus the daily EF of children. As a result, modifying home environment based on the executive functioning needs of children is recommended to parents., Author(s): Sakineh Soltani Kouhbanani [sup.1] , Seyedeh Manizheh Arabi [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411301.6, 0000 0001 0666 1211, Department of Educational Sciences, Educational sciences and Psychology Faculty, Ferdowsi University of [...]

The pervasiveness of smartphone engagement among young adults has attracted growing interest regarding its impact on cognitive processes. However, research on the relation between smartphone use and executive function (EF)-a set of adaptive, goal-directed control processes-remains inconclusive due to imprecise estimation of EF dimensions and inconsistent operationalisation of smartphone use in past studies. Therefore, we examined how two indices of smartphone use-screen time and checking frequency-would predict EF (common EF, shifting-specific-, and working-memory-specific components), using a latent-variable approach based on a comprehensive battery of EF tasks. We also examined the moderating role of problematic smartphone use in the link between smartphone use and EF components. We found that screen time positively predicted working-memory-specific and shifting-specific abilities, whereas frequent checking was associated with enhanced shifting-specific, but poorer common EF, abilities. Importantly, problematic smartphone use moderated the relation between checking frequency and common EF. Overall, our findings demonstrate that different indices of smartphone use asymmetrically predict EF facets, thereby highlighting the construct distinctiveness of the various markers of smartphone engagement. Our findings imply that checking frequency and problematic use, rather than screen time, are the most promising targets for interventions that aim to circumvent cognitive impairments by curtailing smartphone use, especially in educational settings., Author(s): Wei Xing Toh [sup.1] , Wee Qin Ng [sup.1] , Hwajin Yang [sup.1] , Sujin Yang [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412634.6, 0000 0001 0697 8112, School of Social Sciences, [...]

There is substantial comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and there are well-documented executive functioning (EF) deficits in both populations. An important question concerns whether EF deficits in children with ASD are related to severity of ASD, ADHD, or both. We examined ADHD and ASD symptoms in relation to ratings of EF in the home and classroom. The sample comprised 64 children (55 males) diagnosed with ASD (mean age = 9.26 years; mean FSIQ = 92). Analyses indicated that parent and teacher ratings of EF (except Shift and Emotional Control) were consistently related to ADHD symptom severity, but not to ASD severity. Thus, functioning in the domains of Shift and Emotional control appear relatively spared, whereas performance in all other EF was impaired in relation to ADHD symptoms., Author(s): Rachel R. Lee [sup.1] , Anthony R. Ward [sup.1] , David M. Lane [sup.2] , Michael G. Aman [sup.3] , Katherine A. Loveland [sup.1] , Rosleen Mansour [sup.1] , [...]

Performance on a single executive function (EF) task (e.g., a card sorting task) is often taken to represent ability on the underlying subcomponent of EF (e.g., set shifting) without accounting for the non-specific and non-executive skills employed to complete the task. This study used a manualised battery of EF tasks to derive individual task scores and latent EF scores. Seventy-nine adolescents aged between 11 and 19 years, including 37 autistic and 42 non-autistic participants, matched on cognitive ability, completed the battery. Autistic adolescents had moderate global EF difficulties and had significantly more difficulties on some individual tasks. However, the samples did not differ on any of the specific individual subcomponents of EF (fluency, cognitive control and working memory)., Author(s): Lorcan Kenny [sup.1] [sup.3] , Anna Remington [sup.1] , Elizabeth Pellicano [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.83440.3b, 0000000121901201, Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), UCL Institute of [...]

Numerical skills are a major cognitive foundation of mathematical learning, especially in young children. The role of domain-general factors in explaining individual differences in numerical skills is largely unknown. The current study aims to shed light on the different roles of multiple domain-general abilities, including spatial abilities, visuospatial working memory, executive functions, attention, and fine motor ability in the development of numerical skills. Using an extensive sample of children (n = 339) of varying ages (between 3 and 8 years-old), we examined the influence of domain-general factors on numerical skills (symbolic and non-symbolic). We used factor analysis to cluster tasks into latent variables to analyze the data. Based on the results, we used Structural Equation Modeling with numerical abilities as the outcome variable. Spatial skills directly and strongly affected numerical skills, and executive functions also affected numerical skills. Executive functions made a unique contribution to symbolic numerical skills, dissociating symbolic and non-symbolic numerical skills. These results indicate that multiple factors can affect numerical performance. This conclusion bears significant implications for the early diagnosis of learning disorders and intervention methods for these disorders., Author(s): Sarit Ashkenazi [sup.1] , Anna Adi [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.9619.7, 0000 0004 1937 0538, The Seymour Fox School of Education, Learning Disabilities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, , [...]

The present study evaluated the hypothesis that the strength of the relationship between executive function (EF) and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests (RBRI) symptomatology is moderated by the degree to which concurrent demands are placed on multiple aspects of EF. An eye movement task was used to evaluate inhibition and task switching ability (both together and in isolation) in a sample of 22 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) was used to assess the severity of RBRI symptoms. Results provide preliminary support for the aforementioned hypothesis. RBS-R scores were significantly correlated with task performance when simultaneous demands were placed on switching and inhibition; however, no such relationship was found for inhibition-only or switching-only task conditions., Author(s): Mackenzie N. Cissne [sup.1] , Lindsay E. Kester [sup.1] , Amanda J. Moffitt Gunn [sup.2] [sup.3] , Kimberly E. Bodner [sup.4] [sup.5] , Judith H. Miles [sup.2] [sup.6] , [...]

The current meta-analysis comprehensively examined the effects of physical activity interventions on executive function among people with neurodevelopmental disorders. The meta-analysis included 34 studies with 1058 participants aged 5-33 years. Results indicated an overall significant medium effect of physical activity interventions on improving executive function in people with neurodevelopmental disorders under the random-effect model (Hedges' g = 0.56, p < .001). Significant moderators of the effects of physical activity intervention on executive function included age, intervention length and session time, executive function subdomains, and intervention dose (total minutes in the intervention). This meta-analysis provides support for the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on executive function among people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Future studies and limitations are discussed., Author(s): Ming-Chih Sung [sup.1] , Byungmo Ku [sup.2] , Willie Leung [sup.1] , Megan MacDonald [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4391.f, 0000 0001 2112 1969, Adapted Physical Activity, Kinesiology, School of [...]

Executive function (EF) is a concept widely used to describe higher order cognitive functioning. However, the concept seems to lack a precise definition upon which even experts in the area can agree. Examples of existing definitions describe EF as capacities for independent self-serving behavior and aspects of working memory, planning and organizational skills. It has been argued that the definition of EF is too imprecise, in terms of informing effective interventions. To possibly understand the range of behaviors termed EF in a more workable way, we administered a well-known computerized test (the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; WCST) of EF to a sample of normal functioning participants (n =11). During administration, they were asked questions about their ways of thinking. Transcriptions of questions and answers were analyzed in search of common patterns, using a behavioral theory of language and cognition (relational frame theory; RFT). The analysis suggested that a specific relationship between deictic and temporal framing, on the one hand, and coordination and spatial framing, on the other, was in effect when participants performed well on the WCST. At critical time points during the test (i.e., when need for EF was arguably most acute), deictic and temporal framing dominated participants' behavior, whereas coordination and spatial framing were used relatively less. Keywords Executive function * Relational frame theory - Wisconsin Card Sorting Test * Behavior therapy, In an article dealing with the central tenets of contextual behavioral science, Wilson (2016) makes a statement that is deceivingly simple: 'Terms are merely ways of speaking' (p. 62). Indeed, [...]