The Effect of Cognitive Training on the Executive Function and Divided Attention of Anxious Children

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectivenessof cognitive training on the executive function and divided attention of anxious children. The present study was designed as a semi-experimental research design, using the purposeful randomized sampling method. According to the research criteria, 38 anxious children whose age was from 8 to 9 years old, were selected and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The research instruments included Clinical Interviewing, Raven's Intelligence Test, to match the participants, Apparent Anxiety of the Children, London Tower Executive Function Test and Selective and Divided Attention. At the beginning, the Executive Function, Focused and Divided Attention Test, were administered to all the participants. The experimental group received training in 10 sessions of 45 minutes in 5 weeks. At the post-test the instruments were administered to both groups. The results of the study showed a significant effect of cognitive training on the total time, planning time, and experimental time. Total results also showed that there was a significant impact on commission, omission, correct response, and response time of attention. According to the results, cognitive training had a significant effect on the improvement of the executive function and divided attention of anxious children. The results also clarified the role of intervention-based games in cognitive processes