Executive Functions and Improvement of Thinking: An Intervention Program to Enhance Deductive Reasoning Abilities

• Autores: Juan Antonio García Madruga, Isabel Orenes Casanova, José Oscar Vila Cháves, Isabel Gómez Veiga
• Localización: The Spanish Journal of Psychology, ISSN 1138-7416, Nº 25, 2022, págs. 1-20
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2022.26
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Dialnet Métricas: 2 Citas
• Resumen

  • Empirical and theoretical advances and application to society are moved at different speed. Application work is frequently developed later because it requires the integration of knowledge from different research areas. In the present paper, we integrate literature coming from diverse areas of research in order to design a deductive reasoning intervention, based on the involved executive functions. Executive functions include working memory (WM)’s online executive processes and other off-line functions such as task revising and planning. Deductive reasoning is a sequential thinking process driven by reasoners’ meta-deductive knowledge and goals that requires the construction and manipulation of representations. We present a new theoretical view about the relationship between executive function and higher-level thinking, a critical analysis of the possibilities and limitations of cognitive training, and a metacognitive training procedure on executive functions to improve deductive reasoning. This procedure integrates direct instruction on deduction and meta-deductive concepts (consistency, necessity) and strategies (search for counterexamples and exhaustivity), together with the simultaneous training of WM and executive functions involved: Focus and switch attention, update WM representations, inhibit and revise intuitive responses, and control the emotional stress yielded by tasks. Likewise, it includes direct training of some complex WM tasks that demands people to carry out similar cognitive assignment than deduction. Our training program would be included in the school curriculum and attempts not only to improve deductive reasoning in experimental tasks, but also to increase students’ ability to uncover fallacies in discourse, to automatize some basic logical skills, and to be able to use logical intuitions.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Ackerman, R., & Thompson, V. (2017). Meta-reasoning: Monitoring and control of thinking and reasoning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(8),...
  • Alvarez, J. A., & Emory, E. (2006). Executive function and the frontal lobes: A meta-analytic review. Neuropsychology Review, 16(1), 17–42....
  • Ariës, R. J., Ghysels, J., Groot, W., & van den Brink, H Maassen. (2017). Does n-back training in a school-based context improve reasoning?...
  • Ariës, R. J., Groot, W., & van den Brink, H. M. (2014). Improving reasoning skills in secondary history education by working memory training....
  • Baddeley, A. D. (2007). Working memory, thought and action. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528012.001.0001
  • Baddeley, A. D. (2010). Long-term and working memory: How do they interact? In Bäckman, L. & Nyberg, L. (Eds.), Memory, aging and the...
  • Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working memory. In Bower, G. H. (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 8., pp. 47–89)....
  • Baggetta, P., & Alexander, P. A. (2016). Conceptualization and operationalization of executive function. Mind, Brain, and Education, 10(1),...
  • Bago, B., & De Neys, W. (2017). Fast logic? Examining the time course assumption of dual process theory. Cognition, 158, 90–109. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2016.10.014
  • Bago, B., Raoelison, M., & De Neys, W. (2019). Second-guess: Testing the specificity of error detection in the bat-and-ball problem. Acta...
  • Barnes, J. J., Woolrich, M. W., Baker, K., Colclough, G. L., & Astle, D. E. (2016). Electrophysiological measures of resting state functional...
  • Barrouillet, P., & Lecas, J.-F. (1999). Mental models in conditional reasoning and working memory. Thinking & Reasoning, 5(4), 289–302....
  • Barrouillet, P., Grosset, N., & Lecas, J.-F. (2000). Conditional reasoning by mental models: Chronometric and developmental evidence....
  • Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2014). Closing the achievement gap through modification of neurocognitive and neuroendocrine function: Results...
  • Blakemore, S.-J., & Frith, U. (2005). The learning brain. Lesson for education. Blackwell Publishing.
  • Braine, M. D. S., & O’Brien, D. P. (1998). The theory of mental-propositional logic: Description and illustration. In Braine, M. D. S.,...
  • Camos, V., & Barrouillet, P. (2018). Working memory in domain-specific developmental theories. In Camos, V. & Barrouillet, P. (Eds.),...
  • Capon, A., Handley, S., & Dennis, I. (2003). Working memory and reasoning: An individual differences perspective. Thinking & Reasoning,...
  • Carretti, B., Borella, E., Elosúa, M. R., Gómez-Veiga, I., & García-Madruga, J. A. (2017). Improvements in reading comprehension performance...
  • Cheng, P. W., Holyoak, K. J., Nisbett, R. E., & Oliver, L. M. (1986). Pragmatic versus syntactic approaches to training deductive reasoning....
  • Cowan, N. (1999). An embedded-processes model of working memory. In Miyake, A. & Shah, P. (Eds.), Models of working memory: Mechanisms...
  • Christoforides, M, Spanoudis, G., & Demetriou, A. (2016). Coping with logical fallacies: A developmental training program for learning...
  • Cummings, J. L. (1993). Frontal subcortical circuits and human behavior. Archives of Neurology, 50, 873–880. http://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1993.00540080076020
  • Daneman, M., & Carpenter, P. (1980). Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior,...
  • Deary, I. J., Strand, S., Smith, P., & Fernandes, C. (2007). Intelligence and educational achievement. Intelligence, 35, 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2006.02.001
  • De Neys, W. (2012). Bias and conflict: A case for logical intuitions. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611429354
  • De Neys, W. (Ed.). (2018). Dual process theory 2.0. Routledge. http://doi.org/10.4324/9781315204550
  • De Neys, W., & Glumicic, T. (2008). Conflict monitoring in dual process theories of thinking. Cognition, 106(3), 1248–1299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2007.06.002
  • De Neys, W., & Pennycook, G. (2019). Logic, fast and slow: Advances in dual-process theorizing. Current Directions in Psychological Science,...
  • Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
  • Diamond, A., & Ling, D. S. (2016). Conclusions about interventions, programs, and approaches for improving executive functions that appear...
  • Diamond, A., & Ling, D. S. (2020). Review of the evidence on, and fundamental questions about, efforts to improve executive functions,...
  • Dunning, D. L., Holmes, J., & Gathercole, S. E. (2013). Does working memory training lead to generalized improvements in children with...
  • Duque de Blas, G., Gómez-Veiga, I., & García-Madruga, J. A. (2021). Arithmetic word problems revisited: Cognitive processes and academic...
  • Engle, R. W. (2001). What is working memory capacity? In Roediger, H. L III, Naime, J. S., Neath, I., & Supremant, A. M. (Eds.), The nature...
  • Evans, J., & Over, D. (2004). If. Oxford University Press. http://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525134.001.0001
  • Evans, J. St. B. T. (1989). Biases in human reasoning. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
  • Evans, J. St. B. T. (2008). Dual-processing accounts of reasoning, judgment, and social cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 255–278....
  • Evans, J. St. B. T. (2012). How many dual-process theories do we need? One, two, or many? In Evans, J. St. B. T & Frankish, K. (Eds.),...
  • Evans, J. St. B. T., & Lynch, J. S. (1973). Matching bias in the selection task. British Journal of Psychology, 64, 391–397. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1973.tb01365.x
  • Evans, J. St. B. T., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Dual-process theories of higher cognition advancing the debate. Perspectives on Psychological...
  • Fangmeier, T., Knauff, M., Ruff, C. C., & Sloutsky, V. (2006). fMRI evidence for a three-stage model of deductive reasoning. Journal of...
  • Frederick, S. (2005). Cognitive reflection and decision making. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.1257/089533005775196732
  • Fuster, J. M. (1989). The prefrontal cortex: Anatomy, physiology and neuropsychology of the frontal lobe (2nd Ed.). Raven Press.
  • García-Madruga, J. A. (1982). Razonamiento silogístico e interpretación de premisas: Un estudio evolutivo [Syllogistic reasoning and interpretation...
  • García Madruga, J. A. (1983). Un modelo general sobre el razonamiento silogístico: Doble procesamiento y fase de comprobación con verificación...
  • García-Madruga, J. A., Elosúa, M. R., Gil, L., Gómez-Veiga, I., Vila, J. Ó., Orjales, I., Contreras, A., Rodríguez, R., Melero, M. A., &...
  • García-Madruga, J. A., Gómez-Veiga, I., & Vila, J. O. (2016). Executive functions and the improvement of thinking abilities: The intervention...
  • García-Madruga, J. A., Gutiérrez, F., Carriedo, N., Luzón, J. M., & Vila, J. O. (2007). Mental models in propositional reasoning and working...
  • Gathercole, S. E., Dunning, D. L., Holmes, J., & Norris, D. (2019). Working memory training involves learning new skills. Journal of Memory...
  • Gilhooly, K. J., Logie, R. H., & Wynn, V. (1999). Syllogistic reasoning tasks, working memory, and skill. European Journal of Cognitive...
  • Gobet, F., & Sala, G. (2022). Cognitive training: A field in search of a phenomenon. Psychological Science. Advance online publication....
  • Gómez-Chacón, I. M., García-Madruga, J. A., Vila, J. S., Elosúa, M. R., & Rodríguez, R. (2014). The dual processes hypothesis in mathematics...
  • Gómez-Veiga, I., Vila Chaves, J. O., Duque, G., & García-Madruga, J. A. (2018). A new look to a classic issue: Reasoning and academic...
  • Gottfried, A. E. (2019). Academic intrinsic motivation. Theory, assessment and longitudinal research. Advances in Motivation Science, 6, 71–109....
  • Houdé, O., & Borst, G. (2015). Evidence for an inhibitory-control theory of the reasoning brain. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article...
  • Houdé, O., Zago, L., Mellet, E., Moutier, S., Pineau, A., Mazoyer, B., & Tzourio-Mazoyer, N. (2000). Shifting from the perceptual brain...
  • Im-Bolter, N., Johnson, J., & Pascual-Leone, J. (2006). Processing limitations in children with specific language impairment: The role...
  • Inhelder, B., & Piaget, J. (1955). De la logique de l’enfant à la logique de l’adolescent [From the logic of the child to the logic of...
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N. (1988). A taxonomy of thinking. In Sternberg, R. J. & Smith, E. E. (Eds.), The psychology of human thought (pp. 429–457)....
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N. (1990). The development of reasoning ability. In Butterworth, G. & Bryant, P. (Eds.), Causes of development: Interdisciplinary...
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N. (2012). How we reason. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199551330.001.0001 (Original published...
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N. (2015). How to improve thinking. In Wegerif, R., Li, L., & Kaufman, J. C. (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook...
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N., & Byrne, R. M. (1991). Deduction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Johnson-Laird, P. N., Byrne, R. M., & Schaeken, W. (1992). Propositional reasoning by model. Psychological Review, 99(3), 418–439. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.99.3.418
  • Jurado, M. B., & Rosselli, M. (2007). The elusive nature of executive functions: A review of our current understanding. Neuropsychology...
  • Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. https://doi.org/10.1086/674372
  • Kahneman, D., & Frederick, S. (2002). Representativeness revisited: Attribute substitution in intuitive judgment. In Gilovich, T., Griffin,...
  • Karbach, J., & Unger, K. (2014). Executive control training from middle childhood to adolescence. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article...
  • Karbach, J., & Verhaeghen, P. (2014). Making working memory work: A meta-analysis of executive-control and working memory training in...
  • Khemlani, S. S., & Johnson-Laird, P. N. (2017). Illusions in reasoning. Minds & Machines, 27, 11–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-017-9421-x
  • Kintsch, W. (1998). Comprehension. A paradigm for cognition. Cambridge University Press.
  • Klenberg, L., Korkman, M., & Lahti-Nuuttila, P. (2001). Differential development of attention and executive functions in 3- to 12-year-old...
  • Klingberg, T., Fernell, E., Olesen, P. J., Johnson, M., Gustafsson, P., Dahlström, K., Gillberg, C. G., Forssberg, H., & Westerberg, H....
  • Klingberg, T. (2010). Training and plasticity of working memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13, 317–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.05.002
  • Lezak, M. D. (1982). The problem of assessing executive functions. International Journal of Psychology, 17, 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207598208247445
  • Luria, A. R. (1966). Human brain and psychological processes. Harper & Row.
  • Markovits, H. (2000). A mental model analysis of young children’s conditional reasoning with meaningful premises. Thinking & Reasoning,...
  • Markovits, H., & Barouillet, P. (2002). The development of conditional reasoning: A mental model account. Developmental Review, 22, 5–36....
  • Markovits, H., Thompson, V. A., & Brisson, J. (2014). Metacognition and abstract reasoning. Memory and Cognition, 42, 681–693. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-014-0488-9
  • Melby-Lervâg, M., & Hulme, C. I. (2013). Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review. Developmental Psychology, 49(2),...
  • Melby-Lervåg, M., Redick, T. S., & Hulme, C. (2016). Working memory training does not improve performance on measures of intelligence...
  • Meltzer, L., Pollica, L. S., & Barzillai, M. (2007). Executive function in the classroom: Embedding strategy instruction into daily teaching...
  • Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wagner, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive...
  • Moreau, D., & Conway, A. R. A. (2014). The case for an ecological approach to cognitive training. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18, 334–336....
  • Moshman, D. (1990). The development of metalogical understanding. In Overton, W. F. (Ed.), Reasoning, necessity and logic: Developmental perspectives...
  • Moshman, D. (2011). Adolescent rationality and development: Cognition, morality, and identity (3rd Ed.). Psychology Press.
  • Newell, A. (1990). Unified theories of cognition. Harvard University Press.
  • Nisbett, R. E., Fong, G. T., Lehman, D. R., & Cheng, P. W. (1987). Teaching reasoning. Science, 238, 625–631. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.3672116
  • Oaksford, M., & Chater, N. (2003). Conditional probability and the cognitive science of conditional reasoning. Mind and Language, 18,...
  • Oaksford, M., & Chater, N. (2020). New paradigms in the psychology of reasoning. Annual Review of Psychology, 71, 305–330. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051132
  • Oberauer, K., & Wilhelm, O. (2003). The meaning(s) of conditionals: Conditional probabilities, mental models, and personal utilities....
  • Pennycook, G., Fugelsang, J. A., & Koehler, D. J. (2015). What makes us think? A three-stage dual-process model of analytic engagement....
  • Pólya, G. (1945). How to solve it? Princeton University Press. http://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828678
  • Rips, L. J. (1994). The psychology of proof: Deductive reasoning in human reasoning. Choice Reviews Online, 32(02), 32–1231. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-1231
  • Rojas-Barahona, C. A., Moreno-Ríos, S., & García-Madruga, J. A. (2010). Desarrollo del razonamiento deductivo: Diferencias entre condicionales...
  • Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2017). Working memory training in typically developing children: A meta-analysis of the available evidence. Developmental...
  • Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2020). Working memory training in typically developing children: A multilevel meta-analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin...
  • Sánchez-Pérez, N., Castillo, A., López-López, J. A., Pina, V., Puga, J. L., Campoy, G., González-Salinas, C., & Fuentes, L. J. (2018)....
  • Santamaría, C., Tse, P. P., Moreno-Ríos, S., & García-Madruga, J. A. (2013). Deductive reasoning and metalogical knowledge in preadolescence:...
  • Sirin, S. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75,...
  • Shiffrin, R. M., & Schneider, W. (1977). Controlled and automatic human information processing: II. Perceptual learning, automatic attending...
  • Sloman, S. A. (1996). The empirical case for two systems of reasoning. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.1.3
  • Soveri, A., Antfolk, J., Karlsson, L., Salo, B., & Laine, M. (2017). Working memory training revisited: A multi-level meta-analysis of...
  • Stanovich, K. E., West, R. F., & Toplak, M. E. (2011). The complexity of developmental predictions from dual process models. Developmental...
  • Strobach, T., & Karbach, J. (2016). Cognitive training. An overview of features and applications. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42662-4
  • Swanson, H. L. (2015). Cognitive strategy interventions improve word problem solving and working memory in children with math disabilities....
  • Thompson, V. A. (2012). Dual process theories: A metacognitive perspective. In Evans, J. St. B. T. & Frankish, K. (Ed.), In two minds:...
  • Thompson, V. A., Prowse Turner, J. A., & Pennycook, G. (2011). Intuition, reason, and metacognition. Cognitive Psychology, 63, 107–140....
  • Titz, C., & Karbach, J. (2014). Working memory and executive functions: Effects of training on academic achievement. Psychological Research,...
  • Unsworth, N., & Engle, R. W. (2007). The nature of individual differences in working memory capacity: Active maintenance in primary memory...
  • Velasco, J., & García-Madruga, J. A. (1997). La búsqueda de contraejemplos como estrategia metalógica: Un estudio sobre la influencia...
  • Verschueren, N., Schaeken, W., & d’Ydewalle, G. (2005). A dual-process specification of causal reasoning. Thinking & Reasoning, 11,...
  • von Bastian, C. C., & Oberauer, K. (2014). Effects and mechanisms of working memory training: A review. Psychological Research, 78, 803–820....
  • Zelazo, P. D., Carter, A., Reznick, J. S., & Frye, D. (1997). Early development of executive function: A problem-solving framework. Review...
  • Zelazo, P. D., Müller, U., Frye, D., Marcovitch, S., Argitis, G., Boseovski, J., Chiang, J. K., Hongwanishkul, D., Schuster, B. V., &...