COGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN AN ECOLOGICAL EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS ASSESSMENT TASK: ANALYSIS OF THE EYE MOVEMENTS PATTERN

• Grant number: 23/04632-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Cognitive Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Elizeu Coutinho de Macedo
• Grantee: Matheus de Melo Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/13504-9 - Cognitive and oculomotor strategies in ecological executive function assessments, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Cognitive strategies are resources used in solving everyday problems and make it possible to automate information processing and optimize the use of cognitive resources. Such strategies are organized through heuristics and biases that can both optimize behaviors and generate ineffective responses. Among the intra-individual components that are related to the use of good cognitive strategies, fluid intelligence and executive functions (EF) stand out. In general, executive functions allow the individual to maintain the focus of attention, solve problems, organize himself, make decisions, plan, correct mistakes, set goals, control his impulses and monitor behavior. People with low levels of performance in executive functions tend to develop emotional and behavioral problems, becoming involved in a greater number of unwanted situations. One of the ways to assess executive functions is through ecological tasks that simulate real-world environments. The recording and analysis of eye movements while performing these tasks enables a greater understanding of the pattern of visual exploration of the environment, making it possible to infer about the cognitive strategies used by the subject. Thus, the present study aims to investigate problem-solving strategies in an ecological task of evaluating executive functions through the analysis of eye movements, as well as to analyze the relationships of these patterns with fluid intelligence and different components of executive functions. Since greater knowledge about the mechanisms of this important system can support the construction of interventions and coping strategies that minimize the impact of the consequences associated with the EF-related deficit, producing positive impacts both for the individual and for society.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PAULO GUIRRO LAURENCE; MATHEUS DE MELO RODRIGUES; MARIA CAROLINA BRITO LOCATTI TANNUS; ELISA MACEDO DEKANEY; ELIZEU COUTINHO MACEDO. Parental executive functions and motivations unveil variations in young children’s screen media use. PSICOLOGIA-REFLEXAO E CRITICA, v. 37, 2024-10-11. (22/02395-1, 23/04632-3)