Cognitive Flexibility

2Development of Cognitive Flexibility

Agnès BLAYE

Cognitive Psychology Laboratory, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, France

2.1. Introduction

As discussed in the general introduction, the concept of cognitive flexibility has a variety of meanings. In this chapter, we will deal with cognitive flexibility as one of the manifestations of a controlled and goal-directed cognitive functioning. From this perspective, flexibility refers to the ability to adapt one’s representations and processing according to the goal pursued, in response to changes in cues in the environment (e.g. new instructions, failure, disapproving look from an adult, and so on). The development of flexibility is long and progressive throughout childhood, up to and including adolescence (Best et al. 2009; Diamond 2013). This development is particularly dependent on brain maturation. The role of the development of the prefrontal cortical region and the many connections it has with posterior regions is now well established¹ (see, for example, Bunge and Zelazo 2006; Johnson et al. 2013; Chevalier and Blaye forthcoming).

There is a broad consensus on the importance of cognitive flexibility in many fundamental areas of cognitive development, whether in the acquisition of theories of mind (see, for example, Müller et al. 2005) or language (see, for example, Deák 2003). Similarly, links between cognitive flexibility and academic achievement – more specifically, in mathematics and reading – have been regularly highlighted ...