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Multidimensional Reasoning Can Promote 3‐Year‐Old Children’s Performance on the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task
Author(s) -
Bardikoff Nicole,
Sabbagh Mark A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13533
Subject(s) - card sorting , psychology , task (project management) , sort , cognitive psychology , dimension (graph theory) , affect (linguistics) , object (grammar) , developmental psychology , cognition , cognitive development , social psychology , communication , artificial intelligence , computer science , neuroscience , mathematics , management , pure mathematics , economics , information retrieval
An important aspect of executive functioning is the ability to flexibly switch between behavioral rules. This study explored how considering the multidimensionality of objects affects behavioral rule switching in 3‐year‐old children. In Study 1 ( N = 40), children who participated in a brief game separating and aggregating an object’s dimensions (i.e., color and shape) showed improved performance on the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), a measure of behavioral rule switching, relative to controls. In Study 2 ( N = 80) DCCS performance improved even when the initial practice involved a different dimension (pattern and shape). Thus, practice thinking about multidimensionality can affect 3‐year‐olds’ DCCS performance and therefore may play an important role in the development of flexible thinking.