[Context / motivation] Social skills are really important in daily lifetime because it affects a great part of a human’s life. Several factors influence the development of social skills, for...Show more[Context / motivation] Social skills are really important in daily lifetime because it affects a great part of a human’s life. Several factors influence the development of social skills, for example executive functioning (EF), and Theory of Mind (ToM). A wealth of studies has been conducted to explore the relation between social skills and EF. [Question / problem] Just a limited amount of research has taken ToM into consideration. It is important to investigate the exact relation between social skills, EF and ToM to improve the interventions related to social skills. [Method] This study has examined one hundred fifty-four children from 4-8 years old (mean age = 6.17 years). They performed subtasks of de Amsterdamse Neuropsychologische Taken (ANT 4.0) that requires EF and the Sociaal Cognitieve Vaardigheden Test (SCVT) to measure ToM. Parents and teachers reported in the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) the social skills of the children. [Results] Results of multiple regression analyses demonstrated that inhibition and working memory were not significant related to social skills and ToM. Which are remarkable findings in comparison with previously research, probably the measurement of variables in this study are more accurate than previous research. Shifting demonstrated a direct and an indirect relation with social skills (partial mediation). Children who are better in shifting were more likely to rated higher on social skills. ToM is also positive related to shifting and social skills. [Contribution] Based on these results, customized treatments are suggested. Besides the usual social skills treatment it seems to be effective to pay attention to shifting and ToM to optimize the effect of social skills treatments.Show less
Objective: The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that emotion regulation is a mediator of the relation between language skills and social competence, in elementary school children aged...Show moreObjective: The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that emotion regulation is a mediator of the relation between language skills and social competence, in elementary school children aged four to eight years. If this hypothesis is true, it is not unlikely that young children with both language problems and social problems would benefit from interventions targeting emotion regulation. Methods: Children from the Dutch study “Talentenkracht”, were rated on emotion regulation and social skills, by both teachers and parents. Emotion regulation was tested by the corresponding subscale of the BRIEF (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function). Social skills were tested by the SSRS (Social Skills Rating System). The CELF-4NL (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals) was used for measuring expressive and receptive language skills. To determine whether a mediation effect was present, necessary regression analyses and Sobel tests were performed for all combinations between rater (parents or teachers) and type of language skills (receptive or expressive). Results: Out of 154 included children (mean age 6.1±1.24 years), 151 had sufficient data for performing one or more regression analyses. On both teachers’ and parents’ ratings, receptive language skills were a predictor of social competence, but expressive language skills were not. Only when parents’ ratings were used, this relationship between receptive language skills and social competence, was mediated by emotion regulation (p < .05). Conclusion: In children aged four to eight years, emotion regulation is a full mediator in the relationship between receptive language skills and social competence. Future research should address whether children with both receptive language problems and social problems can benefit from interventions targeting emotion regulation. Since the mediation effect was only found in parents’ ratings, future researchers in this area should consider including both teachers’ and parents’ ratings.Show less
In recent years, emphasis has been placed on an overall shortage of beta technicians in Dutch society. This deficiency can be reduced by stimulating beta-learning, which consists of the so-called ...Show moreIn recent years, emphasis has been placed on an overall shortage of beta technicians in Dutch society. This deficiency can be reduced by stimulating beta-learning, which consists of the so-called ‘beta skills’ (skills in mathematics, science and technology) and executive functions (EF; e.g., reasoning, working memory). Since it is unclear how to stimulate beta-learning, this study investigated the effect of a training for teachers in the Netherlands. The training focused on stimulating the EF of Dutch students of primary schools. It was examined whether an improvement in EF, as a result of the training, could mediate an improvement in beta skills. This study included 110 students aged 8 to 10 years old (fifth to eight grade) and their parents. The intervention group consisted of 64 children and their teachers, who had participated in the training and the control group consisted of 46 children and their teachers, who had not participated in the training. The EF were measured using a Dutch adaptation of the BRIEF. Numeracy, an appropriate indicator of beta skills, were measured using a standardized math test from Cito. A one-way repeated measures analysis showed no significant differences in EF and in numeracy between the intervention and the control group after one year. The expected mediation effect of the EF on numeracy was not confirmed in this study. In conclusion, in this study EF did not seem to mediate the effect of the training on beta skills. Nevertheless, a reduction of the shortage of beta technicians has been found the last year. Further research is needed, to investigate and stimulate this positive trend concerning beta technicians.Show less
Background: Children learn about their surroundings through interest, curiosity and explorative behavior. These forms of intrinsic motivation seem to disappear when children start to attend school....Show moreBackground: Children learn about their surroundings through interest, curiosity and explorative behavior. These forms of intrinsic motivation seem to disappear when children start to attend school. The objectives in schools are generally focused on memorizing knowledge instead of the process of learning. To achieve differentiation in the classroom, studies show that stimulating executive functioning and intrinsic motivation in children could lead to better school achievements. Aim: The aim of the present study was to test if a teacher intervention focused on explorative behavior in children, would lead to higher levels of executive functioning and intrinsic motivation in children. Method: Teachers from four different elementary schools and 211 children (8-12 years) with their parents participated in a baseline and a follow-up assessment six months later. During both assessments two questionnaires were filled out by children on their motivation (Prestatie Motivatie Test voor Kinderen) and by parents on the children’s executive functioning (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function). After the baseline assessment the teacher intervention took place. The teachers learned about the development of the brain and how they could stimulate higher thinking processes, social cognition and explorative behavior in children. Results: A correlation was found between intrinsic motivation and the executive functions cognitive flexibility and working memory. Meaning that overall children with increased motivation also showed fewer problems with executive functioning. However, the teacher intervention showed no significant effects on either intrinsic motivation or executive functioning. Conclusion: This research showed that not only extrinsic motivation, but also intrinsic motivation correlates with the executive functions. Although these correlations were found, the teacher intervention showed no significant main effect. To monitor the effects of the teacher intervention more time and feedback is needed. Through longitudinal research behavioral changes in teachers and students can be monitored over time.Show less
