Program for the Neuropsychological Stimulation of Cognition in Students: Impact, Effectiveness, and Transfer Effects on Student Cognitive Performance

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Caroline de Oliveira Cardoso¹  Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra²  Cristiano Mauro Assis Gomes³  Rochele Paz Fonseca⁴ 

[1] Department of Psychology, Feevale University;Department of Psychology, Mackenzie Presbyterian University;Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais;Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul

关键词: executive functions;    cognitive development;    cognitive stimulation;    neuropsychological intervention;    prevention;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01784

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Despite the crucial role played by the executive functions (EF) to cognitive, emotional, and social development of children before and during school years, little attention has been given to construct and analyze the efficacy of programs that intend to develop them. The program of neuropsychological stimulation of cognition in students: emphasis on EF, or PENcE (an acronym from its original name in Portuguese, Programa de Estimulação Neuropsicológica da Cognição em Escolares: ênfase nas Funções Executivas ), is an early and preventive intervention program for school-aged children, and implemented at school three times a week for 5 months. The PENcE was structured in four modules, each focusing on a different executive component: organization and planning, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The objectives of this study were to verify the effectiveness of the PENcE among elementary school children and to investigate whether there are transfer effects to other executive, cognitive, and academic abilities. The sample consisted of 113 children attending 3rd or 4th grade at two public elementary schools. Eight classes participated in the study, divided into two groups: an experimental group (EG) (four classes; n = 64), which received the intervention, and a control group (CG) (four classes; n = 49), which continued their regular school activities. The EF and academic skills of both participant groups were evaluated before and after the intervention. The EG showed significantly greater improvements in inhibitory control, working memory, and abstract planning relative to the CG, with a small to medium effect size. There were transfer effects to other cognitive and academic abilities. These findings suggest the PENcE may be a useful method of improving EF and could benefit both school-aged children and education professionals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY