This document discusses a study that examined executive function in young cochlear implant users. The study assessed areas of executive function vulnerability using a parent rating scale and related these to speech and language outcomes. Results showed difficulties in inhibition, working memory, and behavioral regulation. Deficits in working memory may impact tasks with high cognitive loads like understanding speech in noise. The findings suggest early auditory deprivation can impact neurocognitive development with downstream effects on language and speech.

1. Executive function in everyday life
implications for young cochlear
implant users
Beer, J., Kronenberger, W. G., Pisoni, D. B..
(2011). Cochlear Implants International, 12, s89–
s91.

2. Introduction
• Deafness and degraded auditory experience
may affect not only speech and language
skills, but also other neurocognitive functions
(Pisoni et al., 2010).
– EX: 1. STM and WM capacity.
2. Slowing processing speeds for rehearsal
and retrieving verbal information.

3. Introduction
• Executive function (Gioia et al., 2001).:
– organization
– planning
– working memory
– inhibition
– Flexibility
– involved in the control of thought
– Action
– emotion

4. Introduction
• General agreement among cognitive
psychologists and neuroscientists that several
different aspects of EF play important roles in
– language perception.
– production via top-down feedback.
– control of processing activities in a wide range of
behavioral tasks (Pisoni et al., 2010).

5. Introduction
• Two objects:
– identify areas of EF vulnerability in children with
CI’s using a behavior rating scale completed by
parents
– determine if these areas of vulnerability are
associated with conventional speech and
language outcomes

6. Methods
• Participants:

7. Methods
• Materials (EF):
– Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function
(BRIEF™)
• inhibitory control
• shifting behavior
• emotional control
• initiating tasks and ideas
• working memory
• planning and organizing
• organization of materials
• monitoring

8. Methods
• Materials (EF):
– Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function
(BRIEF™)
• Behavioral Regulation Index
• Metacognitive Index
• Global Executive Composite

9. Methods
• Materials:
– Speech and language General language ability
• Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals fourth
edition (CELF-4)
– Vocabulary
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4)
– Open-set word recognition ：
• Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT)(easy or hard word)
– Open-set sentence recognition ：
• Hearing in Noise Test for Children (HINT-C)(words quiet
or words noise(+5 dB))

10. Results

11. Results

12. Discussion
• The results of this study indicate that children
with CIs have difficulty in some EF
domains,based on parent report.
– inhibit
– working mwmory scales
– behavioral regulation index

13. Discussion
• Deficits in working memory may become a
problem when the task at hand carries with it a
high cognitive load such as hearing in noise,
perceiving spoken sentences, and formulating
sentences based on a picture.
– general language (CELF-4)
– speech perception in noise (HINT-C in noise)

14. Discussion
• A period of early auditory deprivation may
result in differences in the development of
domain general neurocognitive processes that
impact domain-specific areas such as language
and speech perception.