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Switching between spatial stimulus–response mappings: a developmental study of cognitive flexibility
Author(s) -
Crone Eveline A.,
Richard Ridderinkhof K.,
Worm Mijkje,
Somsen Riek J.M.,
Van Der Molen Maurits W.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2004.00365.x
Subject(s) - psychology , stimulus (psychology) , cognitive psychology , cognitive flexibility , cognition , spatial ability , developmental psychology , neuroscience
Four different age groups (8–9‐year‐olds, 11–12‐year‐olds, 13–15‐year‐olds and young adults) performed a spatial rule‐switch task in which the sorting rule had to be detected on the basis of feedback or on the basis of switch cues. Performance errors were examined on the basis of a recently introduced method of error scoring for the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST; Barcelo & Knight, 2002 ). This method allowed us to differentiate between errors due to failure‐to‐maintain‐set (distraction errors) and errors due to failure‐to‐switch‐set (perseverative errors). The anticipated age differences in performance errors were most pronounced for perseverative errors between 8–9 years and 11–12 years, but for distraction errors adult levels were not reached until 13–15 years. These findings were interpreted to support the notion that set switching and set maintenance follow distinct developmental trajectories.