This monograph concerns the psychological processes underlying the development of executive function, or the conscious control of thought and action. It has long been clear that these processes change considerably in early childhood, transforming a relatively stimulus-driven toddler into a child capable of flexible, goal-directed problem solving. However, the nature of these processes has remained elusive. In a programmatic series of 9 experiments, the authors examine circumstances that help or hinder executive function in 3- to 4-year-old children. The results provide the basis for a revision of their Cognitive Complexity and Control (CCC-r) theory, according to which there are age-related increases in the complexity of the rules that children can formulate and use when solving problems. The revised theory (a) specifies more clearly the circumstances in which children will have difficulty using rules at various levels of complexity, (b) provides a more detailed account of how to determine the complexity of rules required in a task, (c) takes account of both the activation and inhibition of rules as a function of experience, and (d) highlights the importance of considering intentionality in the study of executive function.

A brain-based approach to helping kids stay focused and achieve. Poor executive function (EF) in the brain can mean behavioral and attentional problems in school. This book explains to professionals and parents how EF develops in kids, what EF difficulties look like, and what creative and effective interventions can meet their needs. Executive functions involve mental processes such as: Working memory–holding several pieces of information in mind while we try to do something with them–for example, understand and solve a problem or carry out a task. Response inhibition–inhibiting actions that interfere with our intentions or goals. Shifting focus–interrupting an ongoing response in order to direct attention to other aspects of a situation that are important for goal attainment. Cognitive flexibility–generating alternative methods of solving a problem or reaching a goal. Self-monitoring–checking on one's own cognitions and actions to assure that they are in line with one's intentions. Goal Orientation–creating and carrying out a multi-step plan for achieving a goal in a timely fashion, keeping the "big picture" in mind.

In this book, top scientists from a variety of fields investigate the development of executive function (EF), a term that encompasses a range of mental processes that together regulate our social behavior and our cognitive and emotional well-being.

Executive Function: Development Across the Life Span presents perspectives from leading researchers and theorists on the development of executive function from infancy to late adulthood and the factors that shape its growth and decline. Executive function is the set of higher-order cognitive processes involved in regulating attention, thoughts, and actions. Relative to other cognitive domains, its development is slow and decline begins early in late adulthood. As such, it is particularly sensitive to variations in environments and experiences, and there is growing evidence that it is susceptible to intervention – important because of its link to a wide range of important life outcomes. The volume is made up of four sections. It begins with an overview of executive function’s typical development across the lifespan, providing a foundation for the remainder of the volume. The second section presents insights into mechanisms of executive function, as provided by a variety of methodological approaches. The third and fourth sections review the current research evidence on specific factors that shape executive function’s development, focusing on normative (e.g., bilingualism, physical activity, cognitive training) and clinically relevant (e.g., substance use, neurodegenerative disease) developmental pathways.

Aims to create a bridge across cognitive development and cognitive aging. This volume studies the rise and fall of specific cognitive functions, such as attention, executive functioning, memory, working memory, representations, and individual differences to find ways in which the study of development and decline converge on common mechanisms.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

The book focuses on theoretically important relationships among determinants of young children's cognitive development: Working memory, executive function, and conceptual understanding of the mental domain.

The second edition of an essential resource to the evolving field of developmental cognitive neuroscience, completely revised, with expanded emphasis on social neuroscience, clinical disorders, and imaging genomics. The publication of the second edition of this handbook testifies to the rapid evolution of developmental cognitive neuroscience as a distinct field. Brain imaging and recording technologies, along with well-defined behavioral tasks—the essential methodological tools of cognitive neuroscience—are now being used to study development. Technological advances have yielded methods that can be safely used to study structure-function relations and their development in children's brains. These new techniques combined with more refined cognitive models account for the progress and heightened activity in developmental cognitive neuroscience research. The Handbook covers basic aspects of neural development, sensory and sensorimotor systems, language, cognition, emotion, and the implications of lifelong neural plasticity for brain and behavioral development. The second edition reflects the dramatic expansion of the field in the seven years since the publication of the first edition. This new Handbook has grown from forty-one chapters to fifty-four, all original to this edition. It places greater emphasis on affective and social neuroscience—an offshoot of cognitive neuroscience that is now influencing the developmental literature. The second edition also places a greater emphasis on clinical disorders, primarily because such research is inherently translational in nature. Finally, the book's new discussions of recent breakthroughs in imaging genomics include one entire chapter devoted to the subject. The intersection of brain, behavior, and genetics represents an exciting new area of inquiry, and the second edition of this essential reference work will be a valuable resource for researchers interested in the development of brain-behavior relations in the context of both typical and atypical development.

This essential handbook for all early years practitioners provides a wider awareness of self-regulation in babies and young children. It emphasises the importance of giving children positive attachments and empathy, and provides fun ideas of how to promote coping strategies for them. The book explains what self-regulation is and why it is important, as well as making child and brain development easy to understand. It shows what self-regulation looks like in practice and how early years practitioners can support children to develop it with 30+ activities. The first part of the book offers accessible explanations and theory, and the second half provides reflective points, activities and case studies to support some of the information provided in part one. The strategies, activities and tips can be easily applied in childcare settings and shared with parents.

Teach some of the most important skills your students will ever need! Executive function skills—including self-regulation, focus, planning, and time-management—are essential to student success, but they must be taught and practiced. This unique guidebook provides a flexible seven-step model, incorporating UDL principles and the use of metacognition, for making executive-function training part of your classroom routine at any grade level. Features include: Descriptions of each skill and its impact on learning Examples of instructional steps to assist students as they set goals and work to achieve success. Strategies coded by competency and age/grade level Authentic snapshots and “think about” sections Templates for personalized goal-setting, data collection, and success plans Accompanying strategy cards