Unit:
Διαπανεπιστημιακό ΠΜΣ Βασική και Εφαρμοσμένη Γνωσιακή ΕπιστήμηLibrary of the School of Science
Supervisors info:
Στέλλα Βοσνιάδου Καθηγήτρια (Επιβλέπουσα), Αθανάσιος Πρωτόπαπας Αναπλ. Καθηγητής, Πέτρος Ρούσσος Επίκ. Καθηγητής
Original Title:
Εννοιολογική αλλαγή και εκτελεστικές λειτουργίες
Translated title:
Conceptual change and executive functions
Summary:
Why children find it so hard to learn science and math? Recent studies
correlate conceptual development with executive functions (EFs) development.
The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between executive
functions and conceptual change using an experimental rather than a relational
method, in a wide range of cognitive domains, and as well in children, who have
been exposed to systematic and explicit instruction of scientific concepts.
Past research suggests that executive resources are not unlimited; rather they
are temporarily depleted with use. Engaging in any activity that requires
executive control reduces the ability to draw upon further EF resources
immediately thereafter. Recently, the depletion of executive functions observed
in preschool children for the study of the relationship between executive
functions and theory of mind. Experiment 1 showed that the depletion of the
executive functions in elementary school children (6th grade) decreased their
performance when they had to categorize concepts into a scientific,
counter-intuitive category, but not when they had to categorize the concepts
into an initial, intuitive category. Similar effects were not found in the
response times neither for the children nor for the adults (Experiment 2).
These findings support the view that conceptual change involves executive
functions. Further future research to clarify the precise role of the EFs in
the conceptual system both of children and adults is required. EFs depletion
paradigm provides a useful method to this research.
Keywords:
Conceptual change, Executive functions, Ego-depletion, Cognitive development
Number of index pages:
vii, viii
Number of references:
141
File:
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document.pdf
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