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Understanding language requires readers and listeners to cull meaning from fast-unfolding messages that often contain conflicting cues pointing to incompatible ways of interpreting the input (e.g., "The cat was chased by the mouse"). This article reviews mounting evidence from multiple methods demonstrating that cognitive control plays an essential role in resolving conflict during language comprehension. How does cognitive control accomplish this task? Psycholinguistic proposals have conspicuously failed to address this question. We introduce an account in which cognitive control aids language processing when cues conflict by sending top-down biasing signals that strengthen the interpretation supported by the most reliable evidence available. We also provide a computationally plausible model that solves the critical problem of how cognitive control "knows" which way to direct its biasing signal by allowing linguistic knowledge itself to issue crucial guidance. Such a mental architecture can explain a range of experimental findings, including how moment-to-moment shifts in cognitive-control state—its level of activity within a person—directly impact how quickly and successfully language comprehension is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the data of a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of piano practice on cognitive flexibility in healthy older adults. Participants (N = 153, 69.5 ± 3.5 years of age, 57.5% females) were randomly assigned to a piano practice group (PP) or a control group engaged in active music listening (MC). Both groups underwent a year-long intervention with weekly 60-min lessons and daily homework. We assessed switch and mixing costs in terms of speed (mean reaction times) and variability (standard deviation of reaction times) with a number switch and a perceptual switch task. We employed scale analysis based on musical instrument digital interface to assess pianistic performance. Tests were conducted at baseline, after 6 months, postintervention (12 months), and at follow-up (18 months). Results revealed more pronounced improvements in pianistic performance in the PP group compared with the MC group over the course of the intervention. Both groups exhibited gains in several cognitive flexibility outcomes, which originated primarily in the latter half of the intervention. For mixing costs of the number switch test, the PP group showed greater improvements compared with the MC group. Changes in pianistic performance were not related to changes in cognitive flexibility. Additionally, the findings indicated a compensation account in both groups, which was more pronounced in the PP group for mixing costs. This study suggests that both piano practice and active music listening—with piano practice to a higher degree—enhance cognitive flexibility, particularly in sustained control mechanisms linked to mixing costs. Both interventions potentially require longer than 6 months to induce behavioral transfer effects and are especially beneficial for individuals with lower cognitive flexibility levels. Public Significance Statement: This study suggests that piano practice and active analytical musical listening activities can enhance cognitive flexibility, a cognitive function that is particularly vulnerable in older age. This beneficial effect appears to be particularly pronounced in people with low levels of cognitive flexibility. However, these functions exhibit limited short-term sensitivity to such interventions, indicating that a longer duration (about 12 months as in our study) is necessary for the behavioral effects to manifest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive affect has been shown to promote task-switching performance in healthy young adults. Given the well-documented age-related decline in executive functioning, we asked whether induced positive affect also helps to improve task-switching performance in older adults. Sixty-eight younger and older adults performed a switching task before and after they had watched cartoon clips (positive affect group) or documentaries (neutral affect group). Positive affect was associated with reduced error rates across all trial types in both age groups. In older adults, the increase in accuracy came at the expense of slower response times for task-switch trials, resulting in greater switch costs. This pattern of findings is inconsistent with the popular notion that positive affect supports greater cognitive flexibility. Instead, positive affect may trigger adjustments in response control settings – such as a shift in the speed-accuracy trade-off toward more cautious responding – depending on the experienced level of task difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the role of executive functions in shifting between symbolic and situational mathematical representations. Through the process of inhibition, an abstract representation is separated from concrete features and represented in terms of abstract symbols. This is a shift from a situational representation to a symbolic one. Cognitive flexibility can play an important role in the opposite direction of this shift. This involves a shift from an abstract mode of thought to a concrete mode. Since this change starts with the processing of a symbolic representation, areas of the brain that handle symbolic representations are initially activated. As there is a move toward a situational representation, sensorimotor networks become more and more activated because situational representations have more sensorimotor features than symbolic representations. We call this process meta-embodiment. Meta-embodiment enables the individual to actively employ sensorimotor networks to create new concrete situational representations on the basis of already-known symbolic representations. This is an ability that allows the individual to connect to a situational representation in the concrete environment, to perceive it by active employment of sensorimotor networks, and to find out how it fits into an already-known symbolic representation. Finally, educational implications of our proposal are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays, playing online games has become an integral part of the entertainment of male teenagers, so much so that for some of them, it is impossible to separate their lives from these types of games, and addiction to these games leads to these games. Studies have shown that some cognitive abilities such as appropriate executive functions and self-efficacy beliefs can be a deterrent and shock absorber of behavioral addictions similar to addiction to online games. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between executive functions and academic self-efficacy with online game addiction. Methods: The method of the present study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of this study consisted of all high school adolescents in Tehran in the academic year 2023- 2024. The sample consisted of 250 high school students in Tehran who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Internet Gaming Disorder Questionnaire (Pontes et al, 2014), the Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire (Nejati, 2013), and the Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Morgan-Jinks et al., 2004). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS.27 software using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. Results: The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between academic self-efficacy and executive functions with online game addiction (P< 0.05). The results of multiple regression showed that 20% of the variance of online game addiction is explained by executive functions and academic self-efficacy. Conclusion: Therefore, executive functions and academic self-efficacy have many practical implications in the fields of research, etiology, and treatment of addiction to online games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower gestational age (GA) is a risk factor for cognitive and developmental concerns following preterm birth. However, its impact on executive function (EF) is unclear based on conflicting conclusions across the literature. Moreover, as children below 4 years have largely been neglected from previous reviews, the impact of GA on EF within this early developmental period remains unclear. Hence, this systematic review investigated the impact of GA on EF following preterm birth in infancy and early-to-middle childhood. PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo were searched for articles investigating the impact of GA on EF (inhibition, working memory, shifting) in preterm-born (<37 week gestation) and term-born participants aged 0–10 years. Eighteen studies were included. Most of the studies (n = 10) found no significant association between EF and GA. However, several limitations hindered conclusions to be drawn about the strength of this interpretation. Examples include inconsistencies in the theoretical underpinnings and operationalisations of EF, discrepancies in the reporting and measurement of GA, recruitment biases, and a paucity of infant or longitudinal studies available. Consequently, these issues may have contributed to inconsistent or null findings, and they must be addressed in future research to better clarify the impact of GA on EF in preterm-born infants and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the preschool years, children experience rapid development of inhibitory control (IC). This period is also crucial to foster the establishment of the foundations of physical fitness (PF) and motor competence (MC), which are essential for long-term health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of PF and MC in IC in preschool children. Method: A total of 139 children (78 boys and 61 girls) participated in the study, with a mean age of 5.76 ± 0.30 years and a body mass index (BMI) of 16.15 ± 1.94 kg/m². Children performed the Go/No-Go test, Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK3+) test, static and dynamic balance tests, a pro-agility and countermovement jumping (CMJ) test. Results: The findings showed that there was a positive association between MCT and accuracy number (AC) (go) (β = 0.079, 95%CI: 0.051–0.107), AC (no go) (β = 0.022, 95%CI: 0.003–0.041). However, between MCT and reaction time (RT), there was a negative relationship (β = 0.497, 95%CI: 0.988 - 0.006). MCT scores showed a significant positive relationship with AC (go), with a beta coefficient of 0.309 (95% CI: 0.181, 0.436). This finding further underscores the robustness of this relationship. The PF indicator agility showed a negative relationship with AC (go) (β = -3.638 [-5.590, -1.687]) and static balance was negatively related to RT (β = -34.767, 95% CI [0.018, 0.165]). Conclusions: Overall, this study indicates that MC, rather than general PF, is strongly associated with the concurrent level of IC during the preschool period. These findings highlight the potential importance of promoting MC through targeted interventions that may support cognitive function in young children. Further longitudinal research is recommended to explore the causal relationships and long-term effects of these interventions. Study registration: Research protocol number: 2022.214.11.15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of various types of chronic physical activities (PA) and sports interventions on executive functions (EF) in children and adolescents, comparing the effectiveness of cognitive engagement, frequency and intensity, and combined factors. A search of PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo databases identified 30 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with 93 comparisons, exploring the impact of chronic PA on EF subdomains (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility). Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and statistical indices. Results showed that cognitively enriched PA and combined interventions had statistically significant but trivial effects on EF, with considerable variability. Specific PA subtypes, such as high-frequency, high-intensity activities and coordination games, resulted in small to moderate improvements in EF. PA interventions had a small significant impact on working memory, a trivial effect on cognitive flexibility, and no effect on inhibitory control. While both qualitative and quantitative elements in PA interventions produced statistically significant effects on EF, their practical significance was limited. This limitation persisted across specific PA subtypes. The study suggests future research focus on cognitively enriched activities to explore the various qualitative elements influencing cognitive function in these subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Executive functions are higher cognitive skills involved in planning, organization, decision-making, impulse control, and working memory. It is essential to have tools that allow for the accurate and reliable assessment of this construct in university students. This study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Executive Functions Scale for University Students (UEF-1) in the Cuban population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which an online survey was administered to 1,092 Cuban university students representing 14 of the country's 16 provinces. Descriptive analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and Pearson correlation analyses were used to assess the psychometric properties of the scale. Results: Significant correlations were obtained between the scale factors, and the original seven-factor structure was confirmed. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency and overall reliability (α = 0.91, ω = 0.91). Conclusion: The study provided evidence that the UEF-1 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing executive functions in Cuban university students. This measure provides a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive abilities and functioning of Cuban university students, allowing for the identification of specific areas of executive functioning that may benefit from additional support or intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]