The capacity to tune out distractions and pay attention only to useful information develops between the ages of 3 and 7, said Posner, who researched “executive attention” in this age group by measuring electrical signals from healthy children’s brains.

Posner, along with colleagues at Cornell University, wondered if it’s possible to speed the normal development of these neural networks. Together they adapted computer exercises used to train monkeys for space travel into games that would test the capacity of 4- and 6-year-olds to complete complex tasks amid deliberate distraction.

The researchers measured their subjects’ brain activity with electroencephalographs, administering tests of attention and intelligence before and after the training.

Though the 4-year-olds showed no change, the brains of the 6-year-olds showed significant changes after the computer training compared with untrained playmates who watched videos, Posner reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

However, Posner is cautious not to make too many conclusions about the ability to accelerate brain development with these preliminary results. “The fundamental question is can we improve attention in preschool ages and can that be helpful,” he said. “We’re a long way from the final answer to that, or even a good answer.”

Posner’s findings are important, however, because they begin to show how healthy youngsters’ brains work at different tasks and different ages. The collaborative study has been highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle and on ABC news.