Developmental trend of executive functioning on primary students

 Introduction: The term ‘executive functioning’ (EF) refers to a complex cognitive and processes which are generally associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Researchers believe that there are some differences in the growth of executive functioning as well as physical growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the developmental trend of executive functioning on primary school students. Materials and Methods: This study was as a causal-comparative research. The statistical population included primary students in Rasht city in the north of Iran. 126 primary students were selected with a multi-stage random sampling method and divided into three groups including: first and second year students (n=40), third and fourth year students (n=42) and fifth and sixth year students (n=44). The sampling method was random and executive functioning was measured by the Wisconsin card sorting, color word stroop and continuing performance test.  Results: A significant difference was observed between three groups by ANOVA test in regards with continuous performance, interference task (stroop), preservative and the total error. The results of the post hoc test indicated a significant difference between first and third group and also second and third group. Conclusion: The results indicate that the executive functioning emerges during in the developmental trend of individual and evolves with increasing age