The development of elementary school students’ executive function: The performance of elementary school students of different ages on executive function tasks

• Main Authors: Pan, Sz-yu, 潘思羽
• Other Authors: Chen, Lee-chou
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8dscpg

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 教育心理與輔導學系 === 101 === This study aimed to compare the development of different ages of elementary school students’ three basic cognitive components of executive function (response inhibition, working memory, shifting), understand the correlation between execution function and attention. According to the purpose of this study, this study tested sample of 182 children (including 6 year-old group, 8 year-old group, and 10 year-old group), then apply three computerized executive function tasks (flanker task, complex span task, and set-shifting task) and two attention tasks (visual search task and complex visual search task). Finally, used the basic descriptive statistics, two-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis to analyze the data. The results are as follow: 1.There are obvious differences between age and task performance on average accuracy rate and response time of three computerized executive function tasks. The differences of age are showing that increasing ages, the correct rate increased, and the reaction time decreased. The differences of task performance are showing that the correct rate of flanker task is the highest, but the response time is second; the correct rate of complex span task is second, but the response time is the longest; the correct rate of complex span task is the worst, but response time is the shortest. 2.There are obvious differences between age and task performance on average score of two attention tasks. The differences of age are showing that increasing ages, the score increased. The differences of task performance are showing that the score of visual search task is higher than the score of complex visual search task. 3.There is obvious relationship between the performance of elementary school students on executive function tasks and attention tasks. The correct rate of three executive function tasks significantly related to the score of two attention tasks. Furthermore, when excluding the effect of the age variable, the score of complex visual search task still has significant explanatory power to the correct rate of executive function tasks.