Individual differences in 10‐month‐olds' performance on the A‐not‐B task. Issue 2 (April 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Johansson, Maria; Forssman, Linda; Bohlin, Gunilla
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of psychology. Volume 55:Issue 2(2014)
• Page Start: 130
• Page End: 135
• Publication Date: 2014-04
• Subjects: Psychology -- Periodicals; 150
• DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12109
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0036-5564

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="sjop12109-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>This study used the classical A‐not‐B task (Piaget, <xref ref-type="link" rid="sjop12109-bib-0024">1954</xref>) to explore individual differences in cognitive flexibility in 10‐month‐old infants by: (1) examining how differences in search performance during A trials relate to search performance during B trials; (2) studying the relation between temperamental dimensions and A‐not‐B performance; and (3) investigating differences in search performance between looking and reaching responses within the same task. Forty infants were tested on a fixed‐design‐version of the A‐not‐B task, not allowing for training or individual adjustment, but instead eliciting additional search behaviors than the common correct responses in A trials and perseverative errors in B trials. Infants were also rated by their parents on the temperamental scales Activity level and Attention span. The main findings were: (1) performance on A trials affected B trial performance, with infants being more correct on A trials having more incorrect and less 'no search' responses on B trials; (2) activity level, but not attention span, was related to performance on the A‐not‐B task, with infants performing better on A trials having a lower activity level; and (3) there were a few differences in performance with regard to modality, indicating that responding correctly by looking may be less cognitively demanding than doing so by reaching. This study demonstrated that 10‐month‐olds show a wide variation of search behaviors on this A‐not‐B task, resulting in individual differences in performance. These differences are suggested to reflect variation in temperamental activity level as well as maturity of short term/working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility.</p> </abstract>