Neural Oscillatory Markers of Voluntary Task Switching: Proactive Engagement of Self-Directed Control in Children and Adults
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| Title: | Neural Oscillatory Markers of Voluntary Task Switching: Proactive Engagement of Self-Directed Control in Children and Adults |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nicolas Chevalier (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Science. 2025 28(6). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Task Analysis, Children, Adults, Cognitive Processes, Executive Function, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Personal Autonomy |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70073 |
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: | Cognitive control shows two main developmental trends: greater self-directedness (i.e., children need less external scaffolding) and greater proactiveness (i.e., children increasingly anticipate and prepare for upcoming cognitive demands). The present study examined potential links between these major developmental transitions. Specifically, it used EEG oscillations to investigate the extent to which children, like adults, engage self-directed control in a proactive fashion, and whether age-related changes reflect progress in task selection, motor preparation, or both. Five-6-year-olds, 9-10-year-olds, and adults performed a voluntary task-switching paradigm in which visual support for past actions was manipulated. Both children and adults showed greater frontolateral delta/theta power and lower central mu power on switch than repeat trials, but visual support differentially affected these oscillatory markers across age groups. Children already engage self-directed control proactively from 5 to 6 years of age in the voluntary task-switching paradigm, albeit differently than adults, suggesting close links between self-directed and proactive control developments. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/7rqdk/?view_only=f256ee64e25240b882b1dde3450e5aeb |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1487304 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Cognitive control shows two main developmental trends: greater self-directedness (i.e., children need less external scaffolding) and greater proactiveness (i.e., children increasingly anticipate and prepare for upcoming cognitive demands). The present study examined potential links between these major developmental transitions. Specifically, it used EEG oscillations to investigate the extent to which children, like adults, engage self-directed control in a proactive fashion, and whether age-related changes reflect progress in task selection, motor preparation, or both. Five-6-year-olds, 9-10-year-olds, and adults performed a voluntary task-switching paradigm in which visual support for past actions was manipulated. Both children and adults showed greater frontolateral delta/theta power and lower central mu power on switch than repeat trials, but visual support differentially affected these oscillatory markers across age groups. Children already engage self-directed control proactively from 5 to 6 years of age in the voluntary task-switching paradigm, albeit differently than adults, suggesting close links between self-directed and proactive control developments. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70073 |
