Dados do Trabalho

Título

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INTELLIGENCE, SELECTIVE ATTENTION, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN FROM THE AMAZON AREA - BRAZIL

Resumo

Cognitive functions develop over time and are influenced by biological and social aspects. It is known that intelligence and executive functions are related, but research data is usually gathered in high-income countries and well-developed societies. In Brazil, data on preschoolers’ behavior and cognitive functions have been collected in the south and southeast, but little is known about children living in the north, where the Amazon forest sits. The goal of the present study was to verify the relationship between intelligence scores, selective attention and executive function in this population.

A descriptive exploratory study was conducted with a convenience sample of 48 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years old. They were assessed using: a) SON-R 2.5-7 Non-Verbal Intelligence Test; b) a Cancelling Task (TAC); and c) Traill Making Test for preschoolers (TTP). Pearson correlations among all variables were conducted using SPSS.

Small positive associations where found between focused attention and IQ (r = 0.21), selective attention and IQ (r = 0.19), cognitive flexibility and IQ (r = 0.17), selective attention and cognitive flexibility (r= 0.26). Strong positive correlations were found for sellective attention and cognitive flexibility (r = 0.84).

Overall, children’s IQ were weakly correlated with attention and executive functions, which can be understood as the result of fluctuations in young children's performance during neuropsychological testing. Considering the difference in the nature of the tasks, at this age group it is difficult to differentiate between healthy and impaired cognitive functioning through testing, which is congruent with the results of researches conducted in other areas of Brazil.

Palavras Chave

PRESCHOOL; INTELLIGENCE; SELECTIVE ATTENTION; EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

Minicurrículo do proponente

Graduada em Psicologia, Pós Graduada em Neuropsicologia e Análise do Comportamento Aplicada . Mestre pelo Programa de Pós Graduação Strictu Sensu em Distúrbios do Desenvolvimento pela Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (CAPES 6). Treinamento Avançado em Estratégias Naturalistas de Ensino para crianças pequenas com Autismo. Certificação pelo Instituto Completude e U.B para avaliação clínica ADOS-2 e ADI-R para apoio ao Diagnóstico de Autismo. Experiência em Avaliação Neuropsicológica Infantil, Avaliação, Treinamento e Supervisão de Pais e Assistentes Terapêuticos para intervenções precoces no tratamento do Transtorno do Espectro Autista. Tem interesse em transtornos do neurodesenvolvimento e psiquiátricos, especialmente com crianças em precocidade. Atua clinicamente no Centro de Estimulação Infantil Neurokind e atua como Docente do curso de Psicologia da Faculdade Católica de Rondônia - FCR e de Cursos de Pós Graduação na área.

População envolvida

Crianças Pré-escolares, professores e pais.

Perfil do público alvo

Profissionais de saúde e educação, pais e professores de crianças pré-escolares.