A cross-sectional study of executive and semantic flexibility in childhood using task-switching

Cognitive control supports adaptive behavior through stability and flexibility, with executive flexibility typically assessed through task-switching paradigms. However, while executive flexibility is a well-studied construct, it is unclear whether it relies on the same mechanisms as semantic flexibility-the ability to switch between meanings based on context. An ideal approach to arbitrate this debate is to compare their developmental patterns, a method hampered by the fact that semantic flexibility's development remains largely uncharted. Here, 4- to 10-year-old children performed parallel task-switching paradigms: a classic visuospatial paradigm assessing executive flexibility and a novel semantic task assessing semantic flexibility by requiring them to alternate between semantic judgments about whether meaningful concepts were living vs. non-living or moving vs. non-moving. Results revealed a strong correlation between executive and semantic switch costs, suggesting shared control mechanisms, alongside domain-specific differences and age-related modulations influenced by semantic distance, revealing a growing interplay between semantic knowledge and control as children's conceptual systems mature. These findings provide novel insights into the maturation of cognitive control components in childhood, highlighting the interplay between domain-general executive processes and semantic control mechanisms in flexible cognition.