Nikolaeva Elena I.

The article provides an overview of foreign studies conducted over the past 30 years on the topic of identifying the specifics of executive functions in premature babies. The contradictions in the conclusions of various authors about the differences in verbal and spatial memory in full-term and premature babies have been identified. The results of a meta-analysis of the deficit of executive functions in premature infants at different age periods are presented. The biological, ecological, socio-economic factors of the cognitive problems of prematurely born children, considered in various studies, are considered. The data on the consequences of birth at different stages of gestation in preschool, primary school, adolescence, adolescence and adulthood are analyzed. A review of foreign sources indicates that in premature babies, compared with full-term babies, the level of formation of executive functions is largely determined by the quality of nursing and care of people raising a child, their level of education and maturity. The effect of prematurity on executive function is most likely a subject-specific rather than a global factor; they can be trained and improved at different ages

Objective. The purpose of the study was to identify the psychophysiological and psychological characteristics of adolescents that influence the effectiveness of searching Internet for information necessary to complete a learning task. 

Methods. During the experiment, participants completed several interrelated educational tasks on searching for information on the Internet. The number of assimilated units of information served as an indicator of the online search effectiveness. The analysis of participants’ psychophysiological and psychological characteristics was carried out using oculography method, computer-assisted assessment of cognitive control and working memory, as well as several tests for assessment of cognitive styles and information processing. The data obtained were processed using factorial and multiple regression analysis. 

Sample. The study involved 44 adolescents (40.9% of girls, mean age 13.7±1.9 years). 

Results. The result of searching for educational information on the Internet is higher among schoolchildren who demonstrate lower self-assessment of computer use skills as well as higher level of reflexivity and more frequent returns to the task instruction. 

High school students read the instructions on the Internet faster and rarely use a subject-practical style of information coding. The ability to conceptualize determines a higher speed of reading the task instructions. Compared to boys, girls rate their Internet search results higher and find the process less difficult. 

Conclusion. The study results can be used to design the programs for teaching schoolchildren effective online search strategies.