How blinking frequency in children relates to their development
A study of 113 children in Japan suggests that increased blinking frequency is linked to better cognitive control and prefrontal brain development. Researchers observed that children who blinked more frequently performed better on mental flexibility tasks.
Why it matters
Understanding the biological markers of cognitive development in children could help identify and support those struggling with learning or behavioral challenges.
Researchers recently examined whether blinking frequency in young children is linked to the development of brain skills involved in flexible thinking and self-control.
The study, published in the journal Communications Psychology , included 113 children between three and six years old from two preschools in Japan. The group had almost equal numbers of boys and girls, with an average age of about five.
Each child played a card-sorting game designed to test mental flexibility. For example, children were first asked to sort cards by colour and then suddenly told to sort them by shape. They then had to switch between the two rules.
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