Ottoboni, G. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2022

Paradoxical decrease of imitation performance with age in children

AbstractWe studied the development of imitation ability in a cohort of 6-11-year-old children (N=174) with specific attention to error types and their cognitive interpretation. Participants imitated meaningless actions as if they were in front of a mirror (specularly). Actions varied across three levels of complexity (movements of a single limb, arm and leg of the same body side, or arm and leg of opposite sides). Overall performance improved with age. Among the most frequent error categories, side errors (movement imitated with the left instead of the right limb or vice-versa) paradoxically increased with age (from 9 years). Still, their sensitivity to complexity decreased with age. Thus, encoding two opposite body sides has high cognitive costs in younger children and smaller or null costs in older children. We interpreted these results in terms of the enhancement of Working Memory (WM) and body knowledge with age. When WM increases, it paradoxically drives older children to apply their superior body knowledge and imitate anatomically, producing side errors. Younger children are free from such interference because they still lack the necessary body knowledge and WM capacity. In conclusion, this study suggests that anatomical imitation becomes available in childrens cognitive repertoire from age nine due to increased body knowledge and WM capacity. Research HighlightsO_LIThe analysis of error types uncovers/illustrates the role of working memory and body knowledge in imitation. C_LIO_LIAs an effect of little working memory capacity, younger children pay a cognitive cost to encode opposite body sides and make "side errors". C_LIO_LIImitation performance improves with age, but side errors paradoxically increase in frequency due to greater ability to master body knowledge bringing to anatomical imitation. C_LIO_LIAnatomical imitation is available in childrens cognitive repertoire from age 9, as an effect of the development of body knowledge and working memory capacity. C_LI

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2020

Multisensory perception, verbal, visuo-spatial and motor working memory modulation after a single open- or closed-skill exercise session in children.

Physical activity presents clear benefits for childrens cognition; this study examined the effect of a single exercise session of open- or closed-skill exercise, as opposed to a no-exercise activity on multisensory perception, i.e. the ability to appropriately merge inputs from different sensory modalities, and on working memory (verbal, visuo-spatial, and motor working memory) in 51 preadolescent children (aged 6-8). Using a semi-randomised pre-post design, participants completed a range of cognitive tasks immediately before and after an exercise session or a classroom sedentary activity. Participants were randomised, within each school, to one of the three groups (open-skill, n=16; closed-skill, n=16; classroom activity, n=19). Exercise, but not usual classroom activity, improved childrens multisensory perception, with no difference between exercise types. Results also revealed that a single open-skill session produced verbal working memory (digit span) benefits; a closed-skill exercise session benefitted motor working memory. While the relatively small number of participants should be acknowledged as limitation, these findings contribute to emerging evidence for selective cognitive benefits of exercise, and show, for the first time in children, that multisensory processing sensitivity is improved by exercise.

animal behavior and cognition↗