Cognitive flexibility develops protractedly: sharp increase between 7 and 9 years, largely mature by age 10, peaking between 21 and 30¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q2
Currency · newest study 2015 · checked against its sources 2026-10-18 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2020: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Cognitive flexibility shows a sharp increase between 7 and 9 years, is largely mature by age 10, and peaks between ages 21 and 30. → Dajani 2015
Evidence¶
Dajani 2015¶
Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in Neurosciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003
q2 · i? · review · r3
Narrative review of behavioral developmental studies. Skills continue improving through adolescence into adulthood, "reaching their peak between the ages of 21 and 30". Component executive functions follow different trajectories, with inhibition maturing by 10-12 years and working memory improving through adolescence.
"Cognitive flexibility skills begin to develop in early childhood, with a sharp increase in abilities between 7 and 9 years of age. Cognitive flexibility becomes largely mature by 10 years of age"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Hot executive function (CGT risk adjustment) shows a bell-shaped developmental curve, peaking at age 14 and declining thereafter — related
- Task-switching ability matures earlier than task maintenance and selection abilities in childhood — related
- CGT delay aversion shows a bell-shaped age pattern but no statistically significant age difference in adolescence — related
- ASD shows a distinct executive dysfunction profile of impaired cognitive flexibility and planning with intact inhibitory control
- Executive-function brain circuitry takes more than twenty years to fully mature, leaving school-age youth with underdeveloped long-run decision systems — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
protracted-cognitive-flexibility-development |
title |
Cognitive flexibility develops protractedly: sharp increase between 7 and 9 years, largely mature by age 10, peaking between 21 and 30 |
description |
Cognitive flexibility develops protractedly: sharp increase between 7 and 9 years, largely mature by age 10, peaking between 21 and 30 |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2015 |
source_checked |
2026-10-18 |
recheck_by |
2020 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — dajani-2015 |
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