EF can concurrently affect children’s learning and behavior problems and can also predict individuals’ behavioral outcomes such as health, wealth, and criminal behavior by the age of 32. The development of EF during childhood is of great significance for the individual’s future life, education, and employment. Future research should explore the long-term impact of content rather than the form of animation on younger children’s EF.Įxecutive function (EF) refers to the ability of individuals to consciously control their thoughts and actions. An interactive effect on inhibitory control was only found with fantasy in younger children specifically, high-fantastical animations had a more pronounced short-lived weakening effect on inhibitory control in younger children (4–6 years) compared with low-fantastical animations. Pacing had no effect on any of the components of children’s EF. Highly fantastical animations weakened children’s performance on each subsequent EF task. The results showed that the children’s inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility levels all improved with age. After watching, their EF were measured by a day-night task, backward digit-span task, and flexible item-selection task. The children in each age group were randomly divided into four groups to watch animations comprised of different animation features. Pretest information, mainly the childhood EF inventory, was provided by parents: child’s age, age of first exposure to animation, animation viewing time on weekdays and weekends, family income, and parents’ education. Thus, this study explores the developmental trajectories and animation features (fantasy and pacing) that influence each EF component, by examining 218 children aged 4–7. Research has shown that animation plays an important role in the development of children’s executive function (EF), and the development of EF components, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, is asynchronous.

Spong bob moving images moving images