The relation between the components of executive function and inference of feeling in young children

ヨウジキ ニオケル ジッコウ キノウ ト タシャ カンジョウ リカイ ノ カンレンセイ

ヤマムラ, アサヨ

Yamamura, Asayo

辻本, 耐

ツジモト, タイ

Tsujimoto, Tai

中谷, 素之

ナカヤ, モトユキ

Nakaya, Motoyuki

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ キョウイクガクケイ

Department of Education, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

English

Executive function (EF) refers to a higher order cognitive control process that comprises three basic components: inhibition, shifting, and updating (working memory). The present study attempted to construct a teacher-report scale of children’s EF in the daily lives of children, including testing the reliability and validity of the scale. In addition, this study examined the relation between the components of EF and inference of feeling and empathy. A total of seventy-nine children, aged four to six year, were presented six inferences for feeling tasks. Stories were narrated to them, and they were asked to describe the characters’ feelings (inference of feeling) as well as their own feeling (empathy).In this study, nine teachers also answered the EF scale (15 items) about children. The results suggest as follows: first, the components of EF develop from the age four to six years. Second, shifting and working memory have a significant correlation with inference of feeling, but inhibition has no significant correlation with latter. Moreover, all the components of EF have a significant correlation with empathy. The data suggests that, in young children, shifting and the capacity of a working memory play a significant role in guessing other people’s feelings.

辻本, 耐

中谷, 素之

English