Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39927214›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025

Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy.

Lisa Toffoli, Giulia Stefanelli, Giulia Manca, Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi, Gian Marco Duma, Michele Guidi, Francesca Incagli, Luca Sbernini, Vincenza Tarantino, Giovanni Mento

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lisa Toffoli *NeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Giulia Stefanelli *NeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Giulia MancaNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Fiorella Del Popolo CristaldiNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Gian Marco DumaIRCCS E. Medea Scientific Institute, Conegliano, Treviso, Italy.
Michele GuidiCooperativa Progetto Insieme, Padova, Italy.
Francesca IncagliIRCCS Carlo Besta Neurological Institute Foundation, Milano, Italy.
Luca SberniniCooperativa Progetto Insieme, Padova, Italy.
Vincenza TarantinoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giovanni MentoNeuroDev lab, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Recent findings showed that adaptive cognitive control (CC) can be instantiated by bottom-up mechanisms, including statistical contingency of event occurrence. However, the developmental evidence in this domain remains limited. Methods: To address this gap, our study delves into the exploration of different mechanisms underlying adaptive CC in a substantial cohort of young children (211 participants aged between 4 and 7 years). We utilized the Dynamic Temporal Prediction (DTP) task and a modified version of the Flanker task to assess the effect of context predictability on motor preparation/inhibition and interference control, respectively. Furthermore, as part of an exploratory study designed to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based program in Italy, all children underwent a re-testing session after an 8-week intervention involving yoga-mindfulness. Results: Results suggested that young children can exploit global probabilistic changes to optimize motor preparation/ inhibition while counterbalancing fatigue effects. Moreover, they successfully modulate interference control as a function of environmental contingencies, displaying more optimal conflict resolution when proactive control is engaged. Finally, we observed a post-intervention increase of the capability to implicitly adapt motor preparation/inhibition and a boosting effect on the interference control functions. Discussion: Overall, these findings confirmed that adaptive CC is already present in preschool-aged children, extending these results to include 4-years-olds. Additionally, school-based yoga-mindfulness programs are feasible and might improve children's capability to flexibly and proactively adapt to environmental requests promoting cognitive proficiency.

Indexed as

adaptive cognitive controlexecutive functionsimplicit learninginterference controlmotor preparation and inhibitionreactive and proactive controlschoolyoga-mindfulness

Identifiers

PMID39927214
PMCPMC11803634

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.