Whereas accuracy is used as an indicator of cognitive flexibility in preschool-age children, reaction time (RT), or a combination of accuracy and RT, provide better indices of performance as children transition to school. Theoretical models and cross-sectional studies suggest that a speed-accuracy tradeoff may be operating across this transition, but the lack of longitudinal studies makes this transition difficult to understand. The current study explored the longitudinal and bidirectional associations between accuracy and RT on the DCCS (mixed block) at 5, 6, and 7 years of age using cross-lagged panel analyses. The study also examined the roles of working memory and language, as potential longitudinal mediators between RT at Time X and accuracy at Time X + 1, and explored the role of inhibitory control. The sample consisted of 425 children from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Results show lagged associations from slower RT to greater improvements in accuracy between 5 and 6 years and between 6 and 7 years. Further, higher accuracy at 6 years predicted faster RT at 7 years. Only working memory acted as a partial mediator between RT at 5 years and accuracy at 6 years. These results provide needed longitudinal evidence to support theoretical claims that slower RT precedes improved accuracy in the development of cognitive flexibility, that working memory may be involved in the early stage of this process, and that accuracy and reaction time become more efficient in later stages of this process.

中文翻译：

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在 5、6 和 7 岁的认知灵活性测量中，准确性和反应时间之间的交易纵向关系

虽然准确性被用作学龄前儿童认知灵活性的指标，但反应时间 (RT) 或准确性和 RT 的组合在儿童过渡到学校时提供了更好的表现指标。理论模型和横断面研究表明，速度与准确性的权衡可能会在这一转变过程中发挥作用，但缺乏纵向研究使得这种转变难以理解。目前的研究使用交叉滞后面板分析探索了 5、6 和 7 岁时 DCCS（混合块）的准确性和 RT 之间的纵向和双向关联。该研究还检查了工作记忆和语言的作用，作为时间 X 的 RT 和时间 X 的准确性之间的潜在纵向中介+ 1，并探讨了抑制控制的作用。样本包括来自魁北克儿童发展纵向研究的 425 名儿童。结果显示，从较慢的 RT 到 5 至 6 年和 6 至 7 年之间准确性的更大提高之间存在滞后关联。此外，6 年时更高的准确度预测 7 年时 RT 更快。只有工作记忆在 5 年的 RT 和 6 年的准确性之间起部分中介作用。这些结果提供了所需的纵向证据来支持理论主张，即较慢的 RT 先于提高认知灵活性发展的准确性，工作记忆可能参与该过程的早期阶段，并且准确性和反应时间在认知灵活性的后期变得更有效率。这个过程。