THE EFFECTS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND THEORY OF MIND ON SEMANTIC FLUENCY IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

TitleTHE EFFECTS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND THEORY OF MIND ON SEMANTIC FLUENCY IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsBiscevic, I, Pasalic, A, Memisevic, H
JournalProblems of Education in the 21st Century
Volume76
Issue1
Start Page21-28
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedFebruary/2018
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1822-7864
Other NumbersE-ISSN 2538-7111
Keywordsexecutive functions, preschool children, semantic fluency, theory of mind
Abstract

Semantic fluency (SF) is a suitable indicator of preschool verbal abilities and can be used as a predictor of later school success. This research examined the effects of executive functions (EF) and theory of mind (TOM) on semantic fluency in preschool children. Dimensional Card Sorting test was used as an instrument of executive functions and the Sally-Anne test was used as a measure of theory of mind. The sample for this research comprised 116 preschool children, 60 boys, 56 girls, aged 38-72 months. The results of this research revealed a statistically significant effect of EF on SF (p=.03). The effect of TOM on SF was statistically non-significant, although approaching statistical significance (p=.06). There were no interaction effects of EF and TOM on SF. Findings of this research strongly suggest the need for EF training activities in preschool children. Preschool institutions of 21st century need to have curricula aimed at fostering EF skills.

URLhttp://oaji.net/articles/2017/457-1519987908.pdf
DOI10.33225/pec/18.76.21
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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