Executive Functions

Aims: The current research investigated the relationship of key social-emotional and cognitive factors, termed as executive functions, with academic performance.  Method: In a representative sample (N = 76) aged 7 to 10, the social-emotional development scale, The Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) and Academic Performance Questionnaire (APQ) were used to measure research variables.  Results: structural equation modeling using SPSS-22 and AMOS-20 indicated that social emotional skills were mediated by cognitive/executive functions positively related to academic performance in children in the final model.  Conclusion: Increases in academic performance has been found when children are capable of better utilizing executive function strategies at academic settings. Thus, there is evidence that early screening of social-emotional and cognitive/executive functions in young children can lead to identify children with difficulties in learning. Conclusion: Increases in academic performance has been found when children are capable of better utilizing executive function strategies at academic settings. Thus, there is evidence that early screening of social-emotional and cognitive/executive functions in young children can lead to identify children with difficulties in learning. Keywords: social-emotional skills, executive functions, academic performance, children

Executive functions and visual perception are variables that play important roles in learning and educational improvement. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of attention rehabilitation on executive functions and visual perception of students with learning disorder and the study was of quasi - experimental type with pre-test, post-test and control group. The statistical population included all elementary school students in Rafsanjan in the second semester of 2018. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster method and the statistical sample of research involved 20 students with specific learning disorders, selected and replaced by a simple random method in two groups of experiment and control groups (2 groups of ten). The research tools were the visual perception test of Frostig and the Wisconsin cards. After performing pre-test on both control and experimental groups, the experimental group was trained using Captain Log software for 12 session, and at the end, the post-test was performed on both groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.24 software and statistical analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The results of statistical analysis showed that attention facilitator rehabilitation is effective in improving students' ability in visual perception test. Also, the results revealed that rehabilitation of attention can significantly improve the performance of children with learning disorder in the executive functions.

Today, education experts mostly aim to detect significant causal variables leading to students’ achievements in educational settings. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between executive functions and self-regulated academic learning regarding the mediating role of metacognition and working memory among university students. This research was a correlational study using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included of all students of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in the academic year 2018-2019. A total of 351 students were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling. The research instrument included the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30), Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire, the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ), and the Test of Information Processing Skills (TIPS). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings revealed no significant and direct relationship between executive functions and self-regulated academic learning (P>0.05). However, there was a significant and direct relationship between executive functions with metacognition and working memory (p <0.01). Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between metacognition and working memory with academic self-regulated academic learning (p <0.01). In this regard, metacognition and working memory fully mediated the relationship between executive functions and self-regulated academic learning. The study findings provide university students and experts with an appropriate model since, as the theoretical foundations of the proposed model documented, academic achievement and well-being are mainly dependent on executive functions. Accordingly, metacognitive skills, including self-regulated academic learning, can be improved by promoting the executive functions among university students.

Objective: The present research aimed to determine the pure and combined effect of both techniques of mindfulness based-relaxation (MBR) and Transcranial Electrical Simulation (tCES) on decreasing prospective and retrospective memory errors and failure of executive functions of patients with type 2 diabetes. Method: The study is a randomized three-group double-blind clinical trial with repeated measures designs. The sample of the study consisted of 30 patients selected with convenience and purposive sampling method from Diabetes Association of Bonab city, and they were randomly assigned to the three groups of 10 subjects: MBR, CES, MBR+CES groups; and they received interventions related to their group in 10 individual sessions. All patients were assessed by the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), before and after the intervention, and one month after the intervention. Result: The results of split-plot analysis of variance (SPANOVA) indicated the change of the mean of retrospective and prospective memory over time, and the change of prospective memory over time in different groups. The results of covariance analysis and the post hoc test of Ben Foruni indicated that in the follow-up phase, the prospective memory errors in the MBR+CES group were significantly lower than both the MBR and CES group (P <0.05). Conclusion: The results of the study provide many theoretical and practical implications for improving the cognitive function of type 2 diabetic patients following MBR and CES therapeutic techniques.

Introduction: The present study aimed to compare the effects of 3 school-based physical exercises with different levels of cognitive engagement on executive functions.  Materials and Methods: In total, 47 students aged 13-14 years were randomly divided into 3 groups, as follows: the Integrated Physical and Cognitive (IPC) exercise, peer physical exercise group (with the same physical challenge), and control group (the routine physical education program). A Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the N-back test, and the Stroop test were used to evaluate executive functions in pretest and posttest.  Results: The obtained results indicated that the IPC group significantly improved more than the other groups on the executive functions. Accordingly, physical exercise with a higher cognitive load benefitted both speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks significantly more than the same physical activity alone.  Conclusion: Therefore, in the integrated physical and cognitive exercise, the cognitive and physiological effects of this training style interact with each other; therefore, their beneficial effects can be gradually increased, while interventions that only focus on the physical dimension would be less effective in promoting cognitive functions.

Purpose: Present research was conducted with aim of the structural relationships of executive functions with academic engagement in female students: Mediated role of perception of educational environment. Methodology: This study was cross-sectional from type of correlation. The statistical research population was ninth grade female students of Sari County in the 2018-19 academic years. The research sample was 280 people who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. To collect data were used from the questionnaires of academic engagement (Zrang, 2012), executive functions (Nejati, 2013) and perception of educational environment (Gentry & et al, 2002). Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling method in SPSS-18 and Amos-23 software. Findings: The results showed that the structural relationships of executive functions with academic engagement in female students: Mediated role of perception of educational environment had a good fit. In addition, executive functions on perception of educational environment and academic engagement and perception of educational environment on academic engagement had a direct and significant effect and executive functions with mediated of perception of educational environment on academic engagement had an indirect and significant effect (P<0.05). Conclusion: Regarded to the direct and indirect relationships of present study, can be enhanced the level of academic engagement via improving the executive actions and perceptions of the educational environment of female students.

This study aimed to determine the effect of educational packages based on executive functions on students' working memory. This was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study with a control group. In this study, the statistical population was all fifth-grade male students of Shahreza city located in Iran in the academic year 2020-2021. A boys' primary school and 40 students were selected using the available sampling method randomly. Experiments and controls were replaced in two groups of 20 people. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of training based on executive functions; The control group did not receive any intervention. The data collection process was performed in the pre-test and post-test stages with Daniman and Carpenter's (1980) working memory scale for all participants in two groups. The collected data were analyzed by the ANCOVA method. ANCOVA results showed that performance-based education increased the working memory of students in the experimental group compared to the control group in the post-test (P<0.05). According to the results, the educational package based on executive functions can be used to increase the working memory of students in schools and educational centers.

Given that academic procrastination originates from various factors, two of the most important factors in this field are cyberspace addiction and executive functions. Therefore, this research aims to model structural equations for predicting academic procrastination based on cyberspace addiction and executive functions. The research method is a descriptive-correlation type of structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this research includes 8150 female first-secondary school students in the city of Kerman in the academic year 2022-2023; according to Morgan's table, 384 people have been selected as a sample using stratified random sampling. Widyanto and McMorran's (2004) cyberspace dependence, Brief's (2000) executive functions, and Solomon and Rothbloom's (1984) academic procrastination questionnaires were used to collect data. Data analysis was done with SPSS25 and AMOS24 software, and descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and structural equation modeling were used. The research results showed that the model for predicting academic procrastination based on dependence on cyberspace and executive functions has an acceptable fit. There is a significant relationship between cyberspace addiction, executive functions, and academic procrastination (p<0.05), so cyberspace addiction and executive functions simultaneously explain 0.70 of the variance of academic procrastination. Therefore, it can be concluded that the high dependence on cyberspace and spending much time aimlessly in this space cause students to procrastinate in doing their homework and to suffer from a kind of procrastination in academic subjects. Also, defects in executive functions aggravate the academic procrastination of students.

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and executive functions. The research method is descriptive-correlation type. 150 students of Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch were selected by convenience sampling method and completed research tools including Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS). Data analysis was done with Pearson correlation coefficient and SPSS-22 software. The findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the strategies of emotion regulation of acceptance, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, and putting into perspective with executive functions, but this relationship were inverse for self-blame, other-blame, catastrophizing and rumination (P < 0.01). According to the findings, it is concluded that constructive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation can be effective in strengthening executive functions, and incorrect strategies of cognitive emotion regulation cause problems in executive functions.Therefore, students should be trained in the field of improving cognitive regulation strategies.

This research aimed to examine the effectiveness of a creativity training program on the executive functions of preschool children. The research method employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, one-month follow-up, and a control group. The population consisted of five to six-year-old children in the preschool stage in District One of Tehran during the academic year 2021-2022. The sample size was selected based on Cohen's table with an effect size of 0.5 and a test power of 0.8, equaling 15 participants for each group. 30 children who met the entry criteria were identified and randomly replaced in two control and experimental groups. Participants completed such computer-based tests as Hungry Donkey Task, Tower of Hanoi, Continuous Performance Test, and N-Back Spatial Working Memory. During this period, the control group followed their normal daily schedule. Data was analyzed using mixed analysis of variance. The results indicated that the creativity training program significantly influenced decision-making, problem-solving, continuous attention, and spatial working memory. It is suggested that child psychologists and people dealing with preschool children use creativity training to enhance executive functions in preschool children.Keywords: Creativity training, Executive functions, Preschool children.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on the executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation) of students with specific learning disorder. The research method was experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of all the students with specific learning disorder who referred to the learning disorders center of Ardabil in the academic year of 2021-2022, from which 40 students were selected using the available sampling method. Then, they were randomly replaced in the experimental group (20 participants) and the control group (20 participants). The experimental group was exposed to cognitive rehabilitation intervention for 11 sessions. To collect data, the behavioral rating questionnaire of Gioia et al. (2000) was used. The data were analyzed through the analysis of covariance statistical test. The findings showed that cognitive rehabilitation intervention improved executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation) in students with specific learning disorder of the experimental group (P<0.01). Considering the effect of cognitive rehabilitation intervention in students with special learning disorder, schools and counseling centers can use this type of treatment in working with these children to improve their executive functions (behavioral and cognitive regulation).