What Executive Function Predicts About Babies
My New Life
Kate Garlinge
4.7 • 654 Ratings
🗓️ 6 April 2020
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Executive function is a hot topic in brain research. Impulse control is one of a suite of skills associated with executive function.
Jessica Rolph is accompanied by an expert in this field, Dr. Melissa Clearfield, a professor of psychology at Whitman College. In this episode, Melissa shares her research on executive function in babies, along with some grounding advice for parents on connecting with their babies. That connection, she explains, is the foundation for the relationships that your baby will have later on in life.
Key Takeaways:
[1:46] Melissa defines executive function and its link to success later in life.
[3:08] Signs of executive function in the baby’s first year of life.
[4:21] Melissa shares interventions that can boost executive function.
[6:25] The importance of parents giving baby their undivided attention.
[8:17] Electronic toys and babies.
[9:40] Simple toys promote learning, exploration and cognitive development.
[10:06] When is it beneficial to offer your child multiple levels of stimulation?
[12:13] How to model good executive function for children.
[13:50] The attachment style that you have with your infant sets the stage for that child’s attachment style later in life in their romantic partnership.
[14:50] Play for Success.
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Lovevery.com
Learn more about Dr. Melissa Clearfield
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Parenthood is a time of so much change for you and your baby. |
| 0:12.8 | A little reliable information can go a long way towards making this new life a good life. |
| 0:18.6 | I'm Jessica Rolfe, and this is my new life, a love every podcast. |
| 0:28.9 | It's a hot topic in brain research. It's called executive function. The marshmallow test is a |
| 0:34.7 | favorite research study. You might know the one. There's a child and a researcher, |
| 0:39.0 | and the researcher places a marshmallow directly in front of the unsuspecting child. That kid is |
| 0:44.1 | promised another marshmallow if she can avoid eating the first one until the adult returns. |
| 0:49.1 | A camera records the tortured look on the child's face as they debate whether or not to eat that |
| 0:54.0 | single marshmallow. The theory is, the kids who can demonstrate the tortured look on the child's face as they debate whether or not to eat that single |
| 0:54.5 | marshmallow. The theory is the kids who can demonstrate self-restraint are wired for success |
| 1:01.4 | later in life. There have been some important updates to this research, but the bottom line is |
| 1:06.1 | impulse control is one of those important skills defined as executive function. |
| 1:11.5 | Our guest today is an expert in this area. |
| 1:14.2 | But this conversation is not only about high-level cognitive tasks. |
| 1:18.5 | Dr. Melissa Clearfield is a professor of psychology at Whitman University. |
| 1:22.4 | And she has some really grounding advice for us parents around connecting with our babies. |
| 1:28.0 | Because ultimately, that connection forms the touchstone for your baby as they go out into the |
| 1:32.4 | world. |
| 1:33.3 | So I will encourage you to tune into your listening device for the next 15 minutes or so and then |
| 1:37.9 | set it aside and tune into your baby. |
| 1:43.1 | So, Melissa, what is executive function? |
| 1:45.7 | How do you define it for us parents? |
... |
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