Leiden University Student Repository

Meurs, Danielle van (2025)

Cognitieve Controle en Kenmerken van Selectief Mutisme bij kleuters: Een Vergelijkende Analyse Tussen een Stille en Niet Stille Kinderen.

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which children do not speak in certain social situations, while they do speak in others. Selective mutism shares similarities with social anxiety disorder. The cause of selective mutism is unknown, although several factors appear to be involved. The current study examined whether children with selective mutism have deficits in their inhibition and mental flexibility. Using parent questionnaires and a neurocognitive task for the children, inhibition in daily life, inhibition on a cognitive task, flexibility in daily life, flexibility on a cognitive task, and the social anxiety of both silent and non-silent children were assessed. A total of 33 children between four and six years old participated in the study, including 16 silent and 17 non-silent children. The results imply that inhibition and flexibility as behavioral characteristics are not the same constructs as inhibition and flexibility as cognitive functions but should be used to...Show moreSelective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which children do not speak in certain social situations, while they do speak in others. Selective mutism shares similarities with social anxiety disorder. The cause of selective mutism is unknown, although several factors appear to be involved. The current study examined whether children with selective mutism have deficits in their inhibition and mental flexibility. Using parent questionnaires and a neurocognitive task for the children, inhibition in daily life, inhibition on a cognitive task, flexibility in daily life, flexibility on a cognitive task, and the social anxiety of both silent and non-silent children were assessed. A total of 33 children between four and six years old participated in the study, including 16 silent and 17 non-silent children. The results imply that inhibition and flexibility as behavioral characteristics are not the same constructs as inhibition and flexibility as cognitive functions but should be used to complement each other. Silent children were found to have more difficulty suppressing their responses on a cognitive task compared to the non-silent group. This difference was not observed for inhibition measured in daily life. It is suggested that silent children may struggle to suppress cognitive reactions for instance anxious thoughts in new situations while being capable of controlling impulses at a behavioral level. Additionally, silent children did not differ in their cognitive task-based mental flexibility from non-silent children, but they did differ in their mental flexibility in daily life. One explanation for this difference may be that environmental influences, such as stress, may prevent a child from effectively applying certain skills. Furthermore, in the present study of young children mental flexibility skills in daily life explained about a significant portion of the variance in social anxiety.Show less

Selectief Mutisme, Inhibitie, Mentale flexibiliteit, Sociale angststoornnis

Author

Meurs, Danielle van

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Maretha V. de Jonge

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl