Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy
IntroductionRecent findings showed that adaptive cognitive control (CC) can be instantiated by bottom-up mechanisms, including statistical contingency of event occurrence. However, the developmental evidence in this domain remains limited.MethodsTo address this gap, our study delves into the explora...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1379241/full |
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| author | Lisa Toffoli Giulia Stefanelli Giulia Manca Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi Gian Marco Duma Michele Guidi Francesca Incagli Luca Sbernini Luca Sbernini Vincenza Tarantino Giovanni Mento Giovanni Mento |
| author_facet | Lisa Toffoli Giulia Stefanelli Giulia Manca Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi Gian Marco Duma Michele Guidi Francesca Incagli Luca Sbernini Luca Sbernini Vincenza Tarantino Giovanni Mento Giovanni Mento |
| author_sort | Lisa Toffoli |
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| description | IntroductionRecent findings showed that adaptive cognitive control (CC) can be instantiated by bottom-up mechanisms, including statistical contingency of event occurrence. However, the developmental evidence in this domain remains limited.MethodsTo address this gap, our study delves into the exploration of different mechanisms underlying adaptive CC in a substantial cohort of young children (211 participants aged between 4 and 7 years). We utilized the Dynamic Temporal Prediction (DTP) task and a modified version of the Flanker task to assess the effect of context predictability on motor preparation/inhibition and interference control, respectively. Furthermore, as part of an exploratory study designed to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based program in Italy, all children underwent a re-testing session after an 8-week intervention involving yoga-mindfulness.ResultsResults suggested that young children can exploit global probabilistic changes to optimize motor preparation/ inhibition while counterbalancing fatigue effects. Moreover, they successfully modulate interference control as a function of environmental contingencies, displaying more optimal conflict resolution when proactive control is engaged. Finally, we observed a post-intervention increase of the capability to implicitly adapt motor preparation/inhibition and a boosting effect on the interference control functions.DiscussionOverall, these findings confirmed that adaptive CC is already present in preschool-aged children, extending these results to include 4-years-olds. Additionally, school-based yoga-mindfulness programs are feasible and might improve children’s capability to flexibly and proactively adapt to environmental requests promoting cognitive proficiency. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-354190fb5a024755a675d282b420456b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-354190fb5a024755a675d282b420456b2025-01-24T13:53:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-01-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.13792411379241Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in ItalyLisa Toffoli0Giulia Stefanelli1Giulia Manca2Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi3Gian Marco Duma4Michele Guidi5Francesca Incagli6Luca Sbernini7Luca Sbernini8Vincenza Tarantino9Giovanni Mento10Giovanni Mento11NeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyIRCCS E. Medea Scientific Institute, Conegliano, Treviso, ItalyCooperativa Progetto Insieme, Padova, ItalyIRCCS Carlo Besta Neurological Institute Foundation, Milano, ItalyCooperativa Progetto Insieme, Padova, ItalyCentro Regionale di Ricerca e Servizi Educativi per le Difficoltà di Apprendimento–Polo Apprendimento, Padova, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, ItalyNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyIRCCS E. Medea Scientific Institute, Conegliano, Treviso, ItalyIntroductionRecent findings showed that adaptive cognitive control (CC) can be instantiated by bottom-up mechanisms, including statistical contingency of event occurrence. However, the developmental evidence in this domain remains limited.MethodsTo address this gap, our study delves into the exploration of different mechanisms underlying adaptive CC in a substantial cohort of young children (211 participants aged between 4 and 7 years). We utilized the Dynamic Temporal Prediction (DTP) task and a modified version of the Flanker task to assess the effect of context predictability on motor preparation/inhibition and interference control, respectively. Furthermore, as part of an exploratory study designed to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based program in Italy, all children underwent a re-testing session after an 8-week intervention involving yoga-mindfulness.ResultsResults suggested that young children can exploit global probabilistic changes to optimize motor preparation/ inhibition while counterbalancing fatigue effects. Moreover, they successfully modulate interference control as a function of environmental contingencies, displaying more optimal conflict resolution when proactive control is engaged. Finally, we observed a post-intervention increase of the capability to implicitly adapt motor preparation/inhibition and a boosting effect on the interference control functions.DiscussionOverall, these findings confirmed that adaptive CC is already present in preschool-aged children, extending these results to include 4-years-olds. Additionally, school-based yoga-mindfulness programs are feasible and might improve children’s capability to flexibly and proactively adapt to environmental requests promoting cognitive proficiency.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1379241/fulladaptive cognitive controlyoga-mindfulnessimplicit learninginterference controlreactive and proactive controlmotor preparation and inhibition |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Toffoli Giulia Stefanelli Giulia Manca Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi Gian Marco Duma Michele Guidi Francesca Incagli Luca Sbernini Luca Sbernini Vincenza Tarantino Giovanni Mento Giovanni Mento Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy Frontiers in Psychology adaptive cognitive control yoga-mindfulness implicit learning interference control reactive and proactive control motor preparation and inhibition |
| title | Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy |
| title_full | Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy |
| title_fullStr | Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy |
| title_short | Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy |
| title_sort | adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7 year old children and potential effects of school based yoga mindfulness interventions an exploratory study in italy |
| topic | adaptive cognitive control yoga-mindfulness implicit learning interference control reactive and proactive control motor preparation and inhibition |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1379241/full |
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