3-086 - Neural Correlates of Executive Function in Early Childhood

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Executive function (EF), a set of complex neurocognitive processes, improves rapidly from three to six years of age, reflecting brain development during this period (Zelazo & Mueller, 2002). Despite the importance of early EF abilities for academic and social competence (Blair & Razza, 2007), relatively little research has assessed young children’s cortical activity during EF. A brain-based approach can enhance our understanding of mechanisms underlying EF and aid in the interpretation of EF tasks, which are construed as indirect measures of brain functioning even though their neural correlates in this age range have not been well established.

This symposium focuses on electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in preschool and kindergarten children during EF tasks. The first paper examines modulation of the EEG alpha rhythm during a working memory task, showing that alpha suppression is associated with encoding information, and that children with poor emotional control exhibit less alpha modulation. The second paper demonstrates that preschoolers show increased EEG alpha power during a Stroop task assessing inhibitory control and working memory, and that frontal power increases are related to performance. The third paper reports that during the Dimensional Change Card Sort, which assesses set shifting and inhibitory control, amplitude of the event-related potential (ERP) N2 component is associated with reaction time and with temperamental fearfulness and activity level. Together, these three papers underscore the sensitivity of these neural measures to task performance and child characteristics. Our discussant is an internationally renowned expert in executive function and developmental cognitive neuroscience.

Sub Unit

• Attention, Learning, Memory

Chair

• Amanda R Tarullo, Boston University

Discussant

• Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

Individual Presentations

• Modulation of the EEG Alpha Rhythm in Children - Presenting Author: Jennifer Martin McDermott, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Sarah Jo Torgrimson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Phillip Desrochers, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• To Stroop or Not to Stroop: Links Between Executive Processing and Brain Activity During Early Childhood - Presenting Author: Kimberly Cuevas, University of Connecticut; Martha Ann Bell, Virginia Tech; Susan D Calkins, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

• The Role of the N2 ERP Component in Cool and Hot Executive Function in Preschool Children - Presenting Author: Amanda R Tarullo, Boston University; Ashley St. John, Boston University; Stacey N Doan, Boston University; Srishti Nayak, Boston University