Effects of passive cooperation and neutral prompts on preschoolers’ flexibility.

Abstract

The current study examines flexibility in preschoolers; specifically, the effects of a passive cooperator and neutral prompt on preschoolers’ cognitive flexibility. 41 preschoolers, from four to six years of age, were randomly assigned to three conditions: individual, passive cooperation, and passive cooperation with prompts condition. Cognitive flexibility was measured using the block sorting task. Additionally, the affective scales on mood and motivation, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Fourth Edition, the Standard Dimensional Change Card sorting task, and the content false belief task were used as controls. The results showed that there were no significant effects of either passive cooperation or neutral prompts on flexibility. Additionally, there was a lack of a significant effect of paired conditions on mood and motivation changes.