Global Cognitive Functioning versus Controlled Functioning throughout the Stages of Developmen

INTROZZI , I.; RICHARDS , M. MARTA; GARCÍA CONI, A; AYDMUNE, Y.; STELZER, F; CANET JURIC L.; ZAMORA, ELIANA; ANDRES, M. LAURA.; NAVARRO ESPERANZA ; LOPEZ RAMON, M.F.

symmetry

MDPI, St. Alban-Anlage 66, 4052 Basel, Switzerland

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2020 vol. 12

2073-8994

Abstract: According to the All or None Hypothesis (Diamond, 2009), the cognitive system can operatein a global manner that is not very discriminate or in a more discriminate mode that demandsgreater precision, control, and cognitive effort. There are five corollaries to this hypothesis thatdescribe, in an operative way, the conditions under which the controlled mode of functioning inthe cognitive domain can be activated and thus tested. Given the impact this theory has generatedand the absence of studies analyzing the corollaries in a collective and systematic way at differentstages of development, this study was proposed, first of all, to test three of these corollaries inchildren, adolescents and adults and, secondly, to analyze the changes in the controlled mode offunctioning during these three stages of development. To this end, the Fingers Task, a modified versionof Arrows Task (with two rules: response ipsilateral where the stimulus is presented, symmetry;and response contralateral, asymmetry), was administered to a sample of 123 participants (43 children,44 adolescents, and 36 adults). In general, the results verify the corollaries and identify the changesthat the controlled mode of functioning experiences at different stages of development.