DEVELOPMENT OF FRONTAL LOBE FUNCTION IN SINGAPORE CHILDREN

Abstract

Research on the development of perseveratory and disinhibitory behaviours associated with frontal lobe functioning in children have shown differing developmental patterns across cultural populations. This study examined the development of behaviours attributed to frontal lobe functioning in 96 male Chinese-Singaporean children at ages 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12. Tasks included the verbal and nonverbal proactive and retroactive inhibition tasks and the verbal and nonverbal conflict tasks, with words, numbers, and tappings as stimuli. The hypothesis that the developmental patterns for tasks associated with frontal lobe functioning in Singaporean children was of a more gradual type rather than abrupt shifts was generally supported. Supporting evidence was also found for the hypothesis that for different tasks, maturation took place at ages 6, 8, 10, and 12. It was also hypothesized that dichotomies in developmental performances do not exist between verbal and nonverbal tasks but that it does exist between tasks using word stimuli and tasks using number stimuli. The former was found not to be true mainly in retroactive inhibition tasks while the latter was found to be generally true in most tasks. The theoretical and practical implications of the present study was also discussed.