Metacognitive reflection training improves young children's DCCS performance, with behavioral and neural changes¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · associationalr?·q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 3 of 3 entries) · not reviewed by a person
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? Training with corrective feedback and instructions to reflect on the task led to substantial DCCS improvements in 2- to 4-year-olds, greater untrained-DCCS gains than controls, reduced N2 amplitude and increased reaction time. → Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017
q2 i? Preschoolers trained to explain task rules to a puppet improved from pre-test to post-test and outperformed controls, with higher left PFC activation after training. → Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017 (2)
q2 i? Older children (6-10 years) prepare more effectively before responding in self-paced task switching, indicating age-related growth in EF monitoring. → Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017 (3)
Evidence¶
Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017¶
Buttelmann F and Karbach J (2017). Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood. Front. Psychol. 8:1040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040
q2 · i? · review · r2
The review reports, citing Espinet et al. (2013), three experiments showing reflection training gains in 2- to 4-year-olds, plus "a significant reduction of the N2 amplitude" and increased reaction time during DCCS performance.
"training with corrective feedback and instruction to reflect on the task led to substantial improvements in DCCS performance in 2- to 4-years-old. Compared to controls, trained children benefitted more on an untrained version of the DCCS."
Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017 (2)¶
Buttelmann F and Karbach J (2017). Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood. Front. Psychol. 8:1040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040
q2 · i? · causal · r?
The review reports, citing Moriguchi et al. (2015), two experiments in which 3- to 5-year-olds explained task rules to a puppet to foster metacognitive reflection; the trained group "performed significantly better than the control group at post-test."
"the experimental group improved from pre-test to post-test and performed significantly better than the control group at post-test. Moreover, using NIRS Moriguchi et al. (2015) showed a higher activation in the left PFC after training"
Buttelmann F and Karbach J 2017 (3)¶
Buttelmann F and Karbach J (2017). Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood. Front. Psychol. 8:1040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040
q2 · i? · associational · r?
The review reports, citing Chevalier and Blaye (2016), a study recording gaze position during a self-paced task-switching paradigm in 6- to 10-year-olds; "older children were better prepared than younger ones when they responded."
"Both the analysis of gaze trajectories and performance showed that older children were better prepared than younger ones when they responded, even though younger participants could have taken more time to prepare their response."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Foster children who received the ABC intervention in infancy showed stronger cognitive flexibility at preschool age than foster children who received a control intervention — related
- Neural variability and flexibility may underlie cognitive flexibility, with an optimal level required across the lifespan — related
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- Metacognitive scaffolding added to computer-based executive attention training produces larger intelligence gains in preschoolers than regular training or an untrained active control — related
- Metacognitive scaffolding plus executive attention training yields significant increases in the N2 ERP component associated with conflict processing in preschoolers — related
- Changes in the N2 ERP component predict intelligence gains in the metacognitive scaffolding group — related
- Older children (11/12-year-olds) outperform younger children (9/10-year-olds) when considering characteristics of on-going retrieval processes — related
- Children typically perseverate on the Dimensional Change Card Sort at age 3 but can switch sorting rules from age 4 — related
- Feedback on post-switch sorting improves preschoolers' DCCS performance and transfers to a novel DCCS version — related
- The classroom training is associated with a greater DCCS flexibility gain in the experimental group, though the printed ANOVA table reports a non-significant interaction — related
- DCCS training in preschoolers transfers to false-belief understanding — related
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- Foster children who received a control intervention showed a specific post-switch (set-shifting) deficit on the card-sort task, with no group difference on the pre-switch trials — related
- Attention and self-regulation skills are trainable in children, with reported behavioral and neural changes across curricula and intervention programs — a broader claim this one bears on
- Trained students outperformed controls at selecting the more reliable of two contradictory texts, at both post-tests — related
- Bilinguals may have a specific advantage in transferring understanding of novel symbolic rules to new contexts — related
- Experimental studies report transfer of training across diverse operations, from sensory discrimination to memorizing — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
reflection-training-improves-dccs |
title |
Metacognitive reflection training improves young children's DCCS performance, with behavioral and neural changes |
description |
Metacognitive reflection training improves young children's DCCS performance, with behavioral and neural changes |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2017 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-16 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
3 — buttelmann-f-and-karbach-j-2017, buttelmann-f-and-karbach-j-2017-2, buttelmann-f-and-karbach-j-2017-3 |
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