The proportion of perseverators declines steeply across the preschool period, from 38% at age 3;9 to 8% at age 5;3¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2017: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Perseveration on a single task fell from 38% of children at age 3;9 to 18% at 4;6 and 8% at 5;3, with significant McNemar tests between adjacent ages. → Chevalier N. 2012

Evidence¶

Chevalier N. 2012¶

Chevalier N., Sheffield T. D., Nelson J. M., Clark C. A. C., Wiebe S. A., Espy K. A. (2012). Underpinnings of the Costs of Flexibility in Preschool Children: The Roles of Inhibition and Working Memory. Developmental Neuropsychology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3308575/

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Descriptive comparison of perseverator frequencies across the three time points showed declines from 38% to 18% to 8%, with McNemar’s χ2(1) = 49.84 and 115.56, both p < .001, confirming "the proportion of perseverators differed between age 3;9 (38%) and age 4;6 (18%)" and between 4;6 and 5;3.

"Consistent with previous studies (e.g., Zelazo et al., 2003), the proportion of perseverators differed between age 3;9 (38%) and age 4;6 (18%), McNemar’s χ2(1) = 49.84, p < .001, and between age 4;6 and age 5;3 (8%), McNemar’s χ2(1) = 115.56, p < .001."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Children typically perseverate on the Dimensional Change Card Sort at age 3 but can switch sorting rules from age 4 — related
• Significant mixing and local costs are present at each preschool age, with both decreasing in magnitude from age 3;9 to 5;3 — related
• Executive task accuracy and processing speed improve dramatically with age across the preschool period, with no cohort effect from repeated testing — related
• Perseverators do not differ from non-perseverators in inhibition or working-memory performance at any age — related