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REVIEW article
Front. Cognit.
Sec. Cognition and Movement
Volume 4 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fcogn.2025.1361748
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights in Cognition and Movement 2023 View all 9 articles
Embodied Cognition Perspectives within Early Executive Function Development
Provisionally accepted- University of Mississippi, Oxford, United States
The development of executive function (EF) has become a central focus in early cognitive development research. While movement is frequently used to measure EF in young children and may significantly contribute to its development, many leading EF theories do not fully explore the role of movement. This review investigates the critical role of movement in the development of EF during early childhood through the framework of embodied cognition, particularly drawing on the central themes outlined by Lawrence Shapiro. By applying Shapiro's themes, this narrative review examines whether and how these embodied cognition concepts are integrated into leading theories of EF development. The analysis identifies key gaps where current theories could benefit from a deeper incorporation of embodied cognition. This work aims to support future research that emphasizes the importance of movement in fostering EF during early childhood.
Keywords: childhood, Executive Function, representation, Embodied Cognition, Information-processing
Received: 26 Dec 2023; Accepted: 29 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pearce and Miller. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Z. Reagan Pearce, University of Mississippi, Oxford, United States
Stephanie E. Miller, University of Mississippi, Oxford, United States
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