Verbal Self-Regulation in a Children's Game: Impulsive Errors on "Simon Says"

The game of "Simon Says" was played individually with children in preschool, kindergarten, first grade, and third grade. Errors decreased significantly with grade. First graders (average age 7) made substantial numbers of errors, indicating that "Simon Says" is more difficult than other tasks used to study children's impulsive errors and that estimates of ages at which children are able to inhibit impulsive responding depend on the demands of the task or situation. Third graders, first graders, and kindergarten girls improved with practice; kindergarten boys and preschoolers did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]