An important aspect of executive functioning is the ability to flexibly switch between behavioral rules. This study explored how considering the multidimensionality of objects affects behavioral rule switching in 3-year-old children. In Study 1 (N = 40), children who participated in a brief game separating and aggregating an object’s dimensions (i.e., color and shape) showed improved performance on the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), a measure of behavioral rule switching, relative to controls. In Study 2 (N = 80) DCCS performance improved even when the initial practice involved a different dimension (pattern and shape). Thus, practice thinking about multidimensionality can affect 3-year-olds’ DCCS performance and therefore may play an important role in the development of flexible thinking.

中文翻译：

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多维推理可以促进3岁儿童在维度变化卡片分类任务中的表现

执行功能的一个重要方面是在行为规则之间灵活切换的能力。本研究探讨了考虑对象的多维性如何影响 3 岁儿童的行为规则转换。在研究 1 ( N  = 40) 中，参加了一个简短的游戏分离和聚合物体的维度（即颜色和形状）的儿童在维度变化卡片分类 (DCCS) 中表现出改善的表现，DCCS 是一种行为规则转换的衡量标准，相对来控制。在研究 2 ( N = 80) 即使最初的练习涉及不同的维度（图案和形状），DCCS 的性能也有所提高。因此，多维思维的练习会影响 3 岁儿童 DCCS 的表现，因此可能在灵活思维的发展中发挥重要作用。