Modelo Estudiantes del siglo XXI Prejardín-2º
Flexibilidad Cognitiva
La flexibilidad cognitiva, un componente del funcionamiento ejecutivo, es la habilidad de cambiar la Atención de manera flexible entre tareas. Es nuestra capacidad para reconocer cuándo cambian las reglas, lo que nos permite pensar de nuevas maneras, actuar creativamente y resolver problemas. La flexibilidad cognitiva también se puede llamar cambio de conjunto o cambio de tarea, ya que implica desviar la Atención de una idea o componente de tarea y responder a una nueva o diferente idea o componente de tarea, y apoya nuestra capacidad para ver las cosas desde la perspectiva de otras personas. Usamos la flexibilidad cognitiva para adaptar efectivamente nuestro comportamiento al enfrentarnos a entornos cambiantes y demandas de tareas: por ejemplo, en la escuela, los estudiantes deben considerar y alternar entre diferentes reglas y estrategias para completar tareas de aprendizaje. La flexibilidad cognitiva es central para el aprendizaje, la resolución de problemas, la creatividad, el conocimiento emocional y las habilidades sociales, y es una habilidad cognitiva esencial de autorregulación para preparar a los niños para la transición a la escuela.
Ideas Principales
La flexibilidad cognitiva se desarrolla rápidamente en la primera infancia y continúa desarrollándose durante la adolescencia. Alrededor de los cuatro años, los niños generalmente pueden cambiar exitosamente su Atención entre múltiples tareas. Los cambios en la flexibilidad cognitiva durante el desarrollo reflejan en parte el desarrollo madurativo en otras áreas del funcionamiento ejecutivo que apoyan la flexibilidad cognitiva. Sin embargo, su desarrollo no es lineal: los niños pequeños pueden, de hecho, tener mayores habilidades de flexibilidad cognitiva que los niños mayores y los adultos, al menos en algunas tareas, quizás debido a aspectos subdesarrollados del aprendizaje basado en reglas que pueden afectar el pensamiento flexible. Mientras que algunos desarrollos pueden interrumpir aspectos de la flexibilidad cognitiva, las formas tempranas de comportamiento deliberado y orientado a objetivos (por ejemplo, compartir juguetes con amigos) y otras tareas complejas como cambiar entre idiomas, también pueden apoyar el desarrollo de esta habilidad. Los estudiantes con menos exposición a estas oportunidades, que han experimentado experiencias adversas, o que tienen diferencias cerebrales en su desarrollo de funcionamiento ejecutivo, pueden necesitar apoyo adicional en la primera infancia. Por ejemplo, investigaciones han encontrado que los estudiantes con TDAH a menudo tienen dificultades con el cambio de tarea, posiblemente debido a una inhibición reducida. La investigación también ha mostrado que en niños con TDAH la región del cerebro responsable del funcionamiento ejecutivo madura, en promedio, tres años después que en sus compañeros que no tienen TDAH, lo que puede retrasar el desarrollo de la flexibilidad cognitiva.
Existen muchas formas diferentes en que los educadores pueden apoyar el desarrollo de la flexibilidad cognitiva. En la primera infancia, los maestros pueden priorizar el juego imaginativo y la exploración intencionales. Este juego imaginativo puede desafiar el pensamiento de los niños sobre cómo se pueden utilizar los objetos de diferentes maneras. Más adelante en la infancia, las intervenciones de mindfulness pueden fortalecer la Atención, y a su vez, apoyar un cambio eficiente y flexible.
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