The Resilient Mind Executive Functions, Emotion Regulation, And Mental Health in Children And Adolescents

By Brittany Forrester

"The Resilient Mind: Executive Functions, Emotion Regulation, And Mental Health in Children And Adolescents" is a vital guide illuminating the crucial role of executive functions, emotion regulation, and mental health in shaping the well-being of children and adolescents. Drawing on cutting-edge research and practical insights, this book equips parents, educators, and mental health professionals with actionable strategies to nurture resilience and promote positive mental health in young minds. Through real-life examples and practical techniques, it offers invaluable tools for fostering robust cognitive skills, emotional regulation, and adaptive behaviors essential for navigating life's challenges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Dec 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223672449

Book preview

Chapter One

Executive functions and emotion regulation

STUDIES ON ADULTS WHO experienced frontal lobe damage initially indicated that basic sensory processing, motor skills, speech, and, at times, intelligence remained intact. However, these individuals exhibited deficits in cognition, emotion, and behavior. These combined cognitive functions are now recognized as executive functions (EF). EF encompasses a central executive that regulates cognitive processes and comprises goal formation, planning, executing plans, and effective performance. EF's significance is evident in emotional control, linked to inhibition deficits and risky adolescent behaviors. It also influences school performance and correlates with attention and behavioral issues. Key components of EF include set shifting, attentional control, planning, and verbal fluency. Despite this, there is still some lack of clarity in defining EF, emphasizing its crucial role in behavior while suggesting a need for a more precise conceptualization. Key literature highlights three core functions within executive functions (EF): working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. Working memory, a vital aspect of EF, involves manipulating information not currently perceived. This process significantly impacts decision-making. Multiple executive functions are believed to collaborate to support the working memory model, coordinating the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad. Working memory serves as a mechanism for processing information and must access stored material while communicating with other neuronal systems to function as part of EF. The association between working memory and EF is further supported by findings linking poor performance on tasks like the Wisconsin card sorting task to lower mathematical skills and deficits in working memory and inhibition.

This highlights the connection between working memory and attention, showing that inadequate performance on working memory tests and slower processing speeds predict higher rates of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive behavior in children. There seems to be a link between working memory and inhibition, emphasizing the need for accurate and rapid information maintenance, especially in potentially distracting situations. This reliance on cognitive rather than behavioral inhibition is crucial in EF studies.

Inhibitory control, a vital aspect of executive functions (EF), regulates attention, behavior, and emotional responses. While working memory and inhibition are often seen as separate EF components, they are closely related during task performance. Children face more challenges with inhibitory control than adults, showing significant age-related differences in task performance. Various forms of inhibitory control, such as attentional and action inhibition, are crucial for transitioning from self-control in a classroom to inhibiting responses during problem-solving. This self-control seems disconnected from delaying gratification, as children perform well on executive tasks without variation in delayed gratification tasks. Cognitive flexibility, or set shifting, is another critical EF component. It involves switching between tasks, perspectives, and mental states and involves neural regions implicated in inhibition and behavioral control. Tasks measuring cognitive flexibility demand withholding a dominant response and adapting to changing rules, as seen in tests like the Stroop test. Inhibiting a dominant response follows an all or nothing principle, favoring minimal switching. Studies on children indicate that maintaining a consistent response yields faster reaction times, whereas switching responses affects overall speed and accuracy. EF combines inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and other cognitive processes, influencing behavior and performance across developmental