Cognitive flexibility

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) research has shown that specific brain regions are activated when a person engages in cognitive flexibility tasks.

[5] Studies conducted with people of various ages and with particular deficits have further informed how cognitive flexibility develops and changes within the brain.

Cognitive flexibility should not be confused with psychological flexibility, which is the ability to adapt to situational demands, to balance life demands and to commit to behaviors by thinking about problems and tasks in novel, creative ways (for example by changing a stance or commitment when unexpected events occur).

[1] Researchers have more specifically described cognitive flexibility as the capacity to shift or switch one's thinking and attention between different tasks or operations typically in response to a change in rules or demands.

Lastly, the ability to simultaneously consider two aspects of an object, idea, or situation at one point in time refers to cognitive flexibility.

Similarly, cognitive flexibility has been defined as having the understanding and awareness of all possible options and alternatives simultaneously within any given situation.

Cognitive flexibility is highly related with a number of these abilities, including inhibition, planning and working memory.

[14] Researchers have argued that cognitive flexibility is also a component of multiple classification, as originally described by psychologist Jean Piaget.

[15] Similarly, in order to be cognitively flexible they must overcome centration, which is the tendency for young children to solely focus on one aspect of an object or situation.

Furthermore, those who are able to be cognitively flexible have been shown to have the ability to switch between and/or simultaneously think about sounds and meanings, which increases their reading fluency and comprehension.

[3] Thus, with tasks ranging from simple to more complex, research suggests that there is a developmental continuum that spans from infancy to adulthood.

This task appears to be more difficult as research has shown that seven-year-old children were incapable of sorting cards based on the two dimensions simultaneously.

[11][15] The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is used to determine an individual's competence in abstract reasoning, and the ability to change problem-solving strategies when needed.

[29] Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have provided detailed insights into the key brain regions involved in cognitive flexibility, including the inferior frontal junction and areas within the midcingulo-insular network, such as the insular cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, emphasizing their critical role in adapting to changing task demands.

[34] Children with autism show a slightly different profile with deficits in adjusting to changing task contingencies, while often maintaining the ability to respond in the face of competing responses.

Studies suggest that aerobic exercise and training can have plasticity inducing effects that could potentially serve as an intervention in old age that combat the decline in executive function.

Educators involved in this study ultimately opted to implement the cognitive skills training techniques instead of the district-developed curriculum.

For example, as outlined in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a standards-based education reform developed to increase high school graduation rates, educators are expected to present within the classroom "high level cognitive demands by asking students to demonstrate deep conceptual understanding through the application of content knowledge and skills to new situations.

"[41] This guideline is the essence of cognitive flexibility, and a teaching style focused on promoting it has been seen to foster understanding especially in disciplines where information is complex and nonlinear.

[42] A counterexample is evident in cases where such material is presented in an oversimplified manner and learners fail to transfer their knowledge to a new domain.

These cognitive flexibility hypertexts (CFH) provide a "three-dimensional" and "open-ended" representation of material for learners, enabling them to incorporate new information and form connections with preexisting knowledge.

[43] While further research is needed to determine the efficacy of CFH as an instructional tool, classrooms where cognitive flexibility theory is applied in this manner are hypothesized to result in students more capable of transferring knowledge across domains.

Researchers in the field advocate a teaching style that incorporates group problem-solving activities and demands higher-level thought.

At this point, the teacher provides specific conditions of the issue discussed, and students must adapt their prior knowledge, along with that of their peers, to generate a solution.

Examining the trait under the guise of "mental flexibility", Dutch researchers observed that players of first-person shooter games (e.g.