Magdalena Kosno

Let’s do it together! The role of interaction in false belief understanding

From the interaction theory perspective, we aimed to verify whether the interactive context in which theory of mind is measured can allow children younger than 4 years to pass the verbal false belief task (FBT). Therefore, an interactive FBT (iFBT) was devised, in which children were actively engaged in the story, and was used to test 210 children twice: first when they were 3 years old and again when they were 3.5 years old. Most 3-year-olds were unable to pass the iFBT (28% passed), but a half year later their performance was enhanced and they passed at a rate above chance level (59% passed). In addition, among 3.5-year-olds, passing the iFBT increases the chance of passing the standard FBT by four times. We conclude that the interactive mode of the FBT facilitates false belief understanding in children under 4 years of age.

Waiting for a treat. Studying behaviors related to self-regulation in 18- and 24-month-olds

The ability to delay gratification - conceived as an early expression of self-regulation - develops in the second half of the second year of life. We used inductive methodology to identify different behaviors and set of behaviors performed by children while waiting for a treat. We asked which sets are more effective when it comes to successfully delaying gratification and how all observed sets change during toddler age. 130 children were tested twice - at 18 and at 24 months - using a Snack Delay Task. We observed 20 different behaviors and distinguished 4 sets of behaviors. The most important and effective set for delaying gratification in 18 and in 24 month olds was the set called Attention and Movements. We concluded that growth in the ability to delay gratification resulted from increased ability to overcome temptation by using an active strategy mainly based on attention.

Natura, mechanizmy neurofizjologiczne i zmiany rozwojowe funkcji zarządzających

The paper presents an overview of basic issues related to executive functions, the phenomenon being the center of interest to psychologists at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, discussed from the historical, neurophysiological and ontogenetic perspectives. It gives basic information about the history of research on the executive functions and their neurophysiological correlates. At fi rst, the research focused on the function of the frontal cortex, which was thought to organize intellectual activity in adults with damage to that part of the brain. Studies in the ontogenetic paradigm have helped to explain the genesis of the executive functions, their complex nature, developmental changes and critical periods. They have also contributed to determining the relationship between the executive functions and other cognitive processes, such as theories of mind, or emotional processes, and to revealing the environmental conditions. The paper describes the complex nature of the executive functions, indicating the fixed components: inhibition, flexibility, working memory and planning, and presents psychological testing methods, pointing out the most commonly used techniques. The authors refer both to foreign and Polish authors studying groups of participants developing normally or with disorders in different periods of development, and they note the cognitive and the practical aspects of research on the executive functions.