“Complete the Drawing!”: The Relationship between Imagination and Executive Functions in Children

Abstract

An indirect connection between executive functioning and imagination was revealed earlier in the study of pretend play. This study aimed to explore the relationship between imagination and executive functions in children. Two-hundred-six typically developing children aged 6–7 years were assessed with main executive functions (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) and nonverbal imagination (imagination flexibility, image detailedness, image creation strategy, and originality coefficient). Three General Linear Models were built to examine the relationship between executive functions and imagination among children, controlling for age and gender. The obtained results indicate a positive correlation between such characteristics of imagination as originality and flexibility with visual-spatial working memory and cognitive flexibility. However, the data also show that the children who creatively approach the production of new images often experience difficulties with inhibition tasks. The results are interpreted in the context of the educational system and cultural specificities.

The Role of Age and Imaginative Play as Predictors of Cognitive Flexibility in Preschool-Aged Children

“…That research found that there is a significant relationship where a high imaginative play tendency can predict cognitive flexibility and other executive function abilities. The findings in this research also support previous research conducted by Veraksa et al (2022) regarding the role of imaginative play on cognitive flexibility in preschool students which states that age, when seen together with imaginative play, can also be a predictor of cognitive flexibility.…”

“…Besides, research conducted on kindergarten students in Moscow shows that the relationship between imagination and cognitive flexibility can only be seen when age is controlled (Veraksa et al, 2022). The role of age in the development of cognitive flexibility is evidenced by differences in accuracy and time needed to respond to cognitive flexibility tasks in different age ranges of children (Buttelman & Karbach, 2017).…”

The association between music training and executive function in 6–7-year-old children

“…According to the model proposed by Miyake et al (2000), there are three interrelated EF skills: inhibitory control (cognitive and motor), working memory (verbal and visual), and cognitive flexibility. EF has been shown to influence speech development (Kovyazina et al, 2021;Oshchepkova and Shatskaya, 2023), positive adaptation to school (Blair and Diamond, 2008), academic achievement and performance (Willoughby et al, 2012;Cortés Pascual et al, 2019;Morosanova et al, 2021), imagination (Veraksa et al, 2022), and general well-being in adulthood (Robson et al, 2020;Korneev et al, 2022;Morosanova et al, 2023). Preschool age is the most sensitive age for the development of EF (Garon et al, 2008;Diamond and Lee, 2011).…”