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SUMMARY:The Emergence and Malleability of Executive Functions in Early Chi
 ldhood - Dr Emma Blakey\, University of Sheffield
DTSTART:20190228T163000Z
DTEND:20190228T180000Z
UID:TALK119518@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Araceli Hopkins
DESCRIPTION:Executive functions are the set of high-level cognitive skills
  that underpin flexible\, goal-directed behaviour. Executive functions dev
 elop rapidly over childhood and underpin early academic skills and school 
 readiness. In this talk I present data from a series of studies using nove
 l paradigms to study the development and malleability of executive functio
 ns in early childhood. The key findings of my research are three-fold: fir
 stly\, the widespread claim that early executive function development is m
 arked by a shift from perseveration to flexibility may be misleading. Seco
 ndly\, inequalities in early mathematical skills between children from low
 er socioeconomic homes\, and children from higher socioeconomic homes\, ma
 y be mediated by executive function skills. Thirdly\, improving early exec
 utive functions through cognitive intervention is not an effective way to 
 narrow inequalities in early mathematical skills.\n\nPROFILE\n I studied P
 hilosophy and Psychology and the University of Sheffield and went on to do
  a Masters and PhD in the Cognitive Development Lab at the University of S
 heffield. My PhD research focused on cognitive flexibility development in 
 toddlers and preschoolers. I was a visiting researcher at the University o
 f Alberta and then went on to do a post-doc at Cardiff University working 
 on children's time perception and causal beliefs. I returned to the Univer
 sity of Sheffield as a lecturer in 2017. I research how early executive fu
 nctions develop\, particularly during the toddler and preschool years. I a
 m also interested in how executive functions support children's learning\,
  and how individual differences in these skills arise. 
LOCATION:Faculty of Education\, 184 Hills Road CB2 8PQ Room 2S8
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