Age-related change in executive function: Developmental trends and a latent variable analysis Huizinga, M.; Dolan, C.V.; van der Molen, M.W. General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. AbstractThis study examined the developmental trajectories of three frequently postulated executive function (EF) components, Working Memory, Shifting, and Inhibition of responses, and their relation to performance on standard, but complex, neuropsychological EF tasks, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST), and the Tower of London (ToL). Participants in four age groups (7-, 11-, 15-, and 21-year olds) carried out nine basic experimental tasks (three tasks for each EF), the WCST, and the ToL. Analyses were done in two steps: (1) analyses of (co)variance to examine developmental trends in individual EF tasks while correcting for basic processing speed, (2) confirmatory factor analysis to extract latent variables from the nine basic EF tasks, and to explain variance in the performance on WCST and ToL, using these latent variables. Analyses of (co)variance revealed a continuation of EF development into adolescence. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded two common factors: Working Memory and Shifting. However, the variables assumed to tap Inhibition proved unrelated. At a latent level, again correcting for basic processing speed, the development of Shifting was seen to continue into adolescence, while Working Memory continued to develop into young-adulthood. Regression analyses revealed that Working Memory contributed most strongly to WCST performance in all age groups. These results suggest that EF component processes develop at different rates, and that it is important to recognize both the unity and diversity of EF component processes in studying the development of EF.

There are several theoretical reasons to believe that media use might be related to attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or ADHD-related behaviors (i.e., attention problems, hyperactivity, and impulsivity). Although studies into the media-ADHD relationship have accumulated, they have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, we still do not know whether children's media use and ADHD-related behaviors are related and, if so, under which conditions. To fill this gap in the literature, we first identified 6 different hypotheses that may explain why media use in general and viewing fast-paced or violent media content might be related to 1 or more ADHD-related behaviors. Subsequently, we conducted a meta-analysis of 45 empirical studies investigating the relationship between media use and ADHDrelated behaviors in children and adolescents. Our results indicated a small significant relationship between media use and ADHD-related behaviors (r ϩ ϭ .12). Finally, we identified several specific gaps in the existing literature and presented 5 crucial directions for future research. Keywords: ADHD, attention problems, hyperactivity, impulsivity, media useIn the past four decades, children's media entertainment (e.g., cartoons, TV shows, and computer games) has changed significantly. It has become more fast-paced, violent, and arousing (Allen, Livingstone, & Reiner, 1998;Bushman, Jamieson, Weitz, & Romer, 2013;Koolstra, van Zanten, Lucassen, & Ishaak, 2004), and it has become abundantly accessible to ever younger children. These same four decades have also witnessed a significant increase in the diagnosis rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Akinbami, Liu, Pastor, & Reuben, 2011;Kelleher, McInerny, Gardner, Childs, & Wasserman, 2000;Visser et al., 2014). ADHD is a behavioral disorder characterized by a cluster of three symptoms: attention problems, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th The parallel between changes occurring in children's media environment and ADHD diagnosis rates have led to a concern among some authors that use of media entertainment may influence ADHD-related behaviors (e.g., Christakis, 2009;Jensen et al., 1997;Nigg, 2006;Sigman, 2007). Although studies into the relationship between children's media use and ADHD-related behaviors have accumulated, they have yielded mixed results (also see Kirkorian, Wartella, & Anderson, 2008;Schmidt & Vandewater, 2008). It is essential to gain more understanding of the media-ADHD relationship in order to design adequate prevention and intervention strategies aimed at children displaying behavioral problems. To date, no attempt has been made to integrate the inconsistent findings in the current literature using meta-analysis. To fill this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationship between the use of screen entertainment media (i.e., television viewing and video game playing) and ADHD-related behaviors in children or adolescents under the age of 18.For this ...

The increasing prevalence of media multitasking among adolescents is concerning because it may be negatively related to goal-directed behavior. This study investigated the relationship between media multitasking and executive function in 523 early adolescents (aged 11-15; 48% girls). The three central components of executive functions (i.e., working memory, shifting, and inhibition) were measured using self-reports and standardized performance-based tasks (Digit Span, Eriksen Flankers task, Dots–Triangles task). Findings show that adolescents who media multitask more frequently reported having more problems in the three domains of executive function in their everyday lives. Media multitasking was not related to the performance on the Digit Span and Dots–Triangles task. Adolescents who media multitasked more frequently tended to be better in ignoring irrelevant distractions in the Eriksen Flankers task. Overall, results suggest that media multitasking is negatively related to executive function in everyday life.

No abstract

No abstract