Executive Function Measurement in Urban Schools: Exploring the Links between Performance-Based Metrics and Teacher Ratings

When compared to research centered on the executive function development of white, middle-class children, relatively little is known about their non-white, lower-SES peers. In an effort to harmonize how executive functions are measured within under-represented contexts, the present study compares the utility of computerized performance-based tasks with teacher ratings of children’s classroom behavior using the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC, 2nd edition, Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) . The sample included older children who were mostly ethnic minority students from high-poverty backgrounds (N = 243; Mage = 9.28 years, SDage = 0.80; nfemale = 125; nAfricanAmerican = 216, nLatinAmerican = 15, nAsianAmerican = 6). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling tested for links between computerized performance-based executive function tasks and teacher ratings of everyday executive function. The results indicate good reliability for teacher ratings with this sample, with stronger links between a unified conceptualization of executive function compared to a diverse one. The findings suggest that these metrics are appropriate for a wide range of children and that ratings of everyday behavior might tap more into overall rather than specific executive function skills. These findings encourage continued questioning surrounding the organization of executive functions in older children from diverse backgrounds and their utility for general theories of cognitive development.

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The effect of vascular health factors on white matter microstructure mediates age-related differences in executive function performance

10.1101/2020.05.14.096677 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

David A. Hoagey ◽

Linh T.T. Lazarus ◽

Karen M. Rodrigue ◽

Kristen M. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

White Matter Hyperintensity ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Vascular Risk

AbstractEven within healthy aging, vascular risk factors can detrimentally influence cognition, with executive functions (EF) particularly vulnerable. Fronto-parietal white matter (WM) connectivity in part, supports EF and may be particularly sensitive to vascular risk. Here, we utilized structural equation modeling in 184 healthy adults (aged 20-94 years of age) to test the hypotheses that: 1) fronto-parietal WM microstructure mediates age effects on EF; 2) higher blood pressure (BP) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden influences this association. All participants underwent comprehensive cognitive and neuropsychological testing including tests of processing speed, executive function (with a focus on tasks that require switching and inhibition) and completed an MRI scanning session that included FLAIR imaging for semiautomated quantification of white matter hyperintensity burden and diffusion-weighted imaging for tractography. Structural equation models were specified with age (as a continuous variable) and blood pressure predicting within-tract WMH burden and fractional anisotropy predicting executive function and processing speed. Results indicated that fronto-parietal white matter of the genu of the corpus collosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus mediated the association between age and EF. Additionally, increased systolic blood pressure and white matter hyperintensity burden within these white matter tracts contribute to worsening white matter health and are important factors underlying age-brainbehavior associations. These findings suggest that aging brings about increases in both BP and WMH burden, which may be involved in the degradation of white matter connectivity and in turn, negatively impact executive functions as we age.

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A-159 Attention and Executive Function Predict Immediate and Delayed Verbal Memory in Healthy Youth: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acab062.177 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 1213-1214

Author(s):

Ryan C Thompson ◽

Aubrey L Deneen ◽

Yelena Markiv ◽

Aidan Hall ◽

Rayna B Hirst

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Learning And Memory ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Adequate Model ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective Previous neuropsychological assessments have sought to understand the interrelatedness of cognitive functions when interpreting neuropsychological test performance (e.g., Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System; DKEFS), given that they rarely function in isolation. Test results may be misinterpreted if not contextualized within individuals’ overall cognitive profiles; therefore, the present study evaluated the impact of attention and executive function (EF) on verbal learning and memory (VLM) in a sample of healthy youth. Method Participants (n = 166, M age = 12.0 years, 79.5% male, M FSIQ = 109.6) completed a two-hour neuropsychological battery, including the Wide Range Assessment of Learning and Memory, 2nd Edition List Learning (LL), DKEFS Trail Making Test (TMT), and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition Digit Span (DS) and Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS). Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the impact of attention and EF on immediate and delayed VLM. Results Latent factors were estimated for attention/EF (DS Forward, DS Backward, LNS, and TMT Condition 4) and VLM (LL Trials 1–4), and the model converged with adequate model fit statistics (RMSEA = 0.064; CFI = 0.975; TLI = 0.963, SRMR = 0.039). Attention and EF predicted performance on both immediate and delayed VLM (ps < 0.001) when accounting for age. Conclusions The results demonstrated that attention and EF predicted immediate and delayed VLM in youth, suggesting that participants’ performance on VLM may be impacted by weaknesses in attention and EF. As a result, clinicians are recommended to examine patterns of performances across multiple cognitive domains when interpreting individual test scores. This is especially important in pediatric populations given the developmental changes the brain undergoes during childhood and adolescence.

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Practicing Green Residence Business Model Based on TPB Perspective

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137379 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7379

Author(s):

Chao Wu ◽

Shuling Liang ◽

Weijiong Wu ◽

Yuxiang Hong

Keyword(s):

Business Model ◽

Purchase Intention ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Behavioral Control ◽

Steel Structure ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Perceived Behavioral Control ◽

Intention To Purchase ◽

Wide Range ◽

Green Business

Green residence is the future of urban development, it is also an attempt to implement the green business model in the residential business field. The key to the success of a green business model is that a wide range of customers can accept its green value proposition and react to it through their purchase decisions. This study aims to develop a theory of a planned behavior (TPB) research model to predict individuals’ intention to purchase green residence. This study took steel structure residence as an example, which was widely recognized as one emerging type of green residence. The samples were selected in Baotou city of Inner Mongolia, P.R. China. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) with data obtained from a survey of 208 respondents using SPSS19.0 and AMOS17.0. The results found that the individuals’ intention to purchase green residence was significantly affected by attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Moreover, the empirical evidence showed that these influences differed between different gender groups. Specifically, women responders had a stronger effect on the path attitude impact on purchase intention than men. These findings can provide implications for practicing the green business model of real estate enterprise.

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Individual differences in executive function partially explain the socioeconomic gradient in middle-school academic achievement

10.31234/osf.io/dkjn9 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dustin Albert ◽

Jamie Lars Hanson ◽

Ann Skinner ◽

Ken Dodge ◽

Laurence Steinberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Low Socioeconomic Status ◽

Classroom Practice ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Math Achievement ◽

Verbal Ability ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Socioeconomic Gradient ◽

Reading And Math ◽

Math Proficiency

Children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) earn lower grades, perform worse on achievement tests, and attain less education on average than their peers from higher-SES families. We evaluated neurocognitive mediators of SES disparities in achievement in a diverse sample of youth whose data were linked to administrative records of performance on school-administered tests of 7th grade reading and math proficiency (*N*=203). We used structural equation modeling to evaluate whether associations between SES (measured at ages 8-9) and achievement (measured at age 13) are mediated by verbal ability and executive function (measured at age 10), a suite of top-down mental processes that facilitate control of thinking and behavior. Children from relatively higher-SES families performed better than their lower-SES peers on all neurocognitive and achievement measures, and SES disparities in both reading and math achievement were partially mediated by variation in executive function, but not verbal ability. SES disparities in executive function explained approximately 37% of the SES gap in math achievement and 17% of the SES gap in reading achievement. Exploratory modeling suggests that SES-related variation in working memory may play a particularly prominent role in mediation. We discuss potential implications of these findings for research, intervention programming, and classroom practice.

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Body Mass Index Moderates Brain Dynamics and Executive Function: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

10.52294/8944e106-c54b-40d7-a620-925f7b074f99 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lauren Kupis ◽

Zachary T. Goodman ◽

Salome Kornfeld ◽

Celia Romero ◽

Bryce Dirks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Executive Function ◽

Body Mass ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Model Fit ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Brain Dynamics ◽

Latent Factors ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Obesity is associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. Being overweight/obese is also associated with executive functioning impairments and structural changes in the brain. However, the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the relationship between brain dynamics and executive function (EF) is unknown. The goal of the study was to assess the modulatory effects of BMI on brain dynamics and EF. A large sample of publicly available neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment data collected from 253 adults (18–45 years; mean BMI 26.95 kg/m2 ± 5.90 SD) from the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) were included (http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/enhanced/). Participants underwent resting-state functional MRI and completed the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) test battery (1). Time series were extracted from 400 brain nodes and used in a co-activation pattern (CAP) analysis. Dynamic CAP metrics including dwell time (DT), frequency of occurrence, and transitions were computed. Multiple measurement models were compared based on model fit with indicators from the D-KEFS assigned a priori (shifting, inhibition, and fluency). Multiple structural equation models were computed with interactions between BMI and the dynamic CAP metrics predicting the three latent factors of shifting, inhibition, and fluency while controlling for age, sex, and head motion. Models were assessed for the main effects of BMI and CAP metrics predicting the latent factors. A three-factor model (shifting, inhibition, and fluency) resulted in the best model fit. Significant interactions were present between BMI and CAP 2 (lateral frontoparietal (L-FPN), medial frontoparietal (M-FPN), and limbic nodes) and CAP 5 (dorsal frontoparietal (D-FPN), midcingulo-insular (M-CIN), somatosensory motor, and visual network nodes) DTs associated with shifting. A higher BMI was associated with a positive relationship between CAP DTs and shifting. Conversely, in average and low BMI participants, a negative relationship was seen between CAP DTs and shifting. Our findings indicate that BMI moderates the relationship between brain dynamics of networks important for cognitive control and shifting, an index of cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, higher BMI is linked with altered brain dynamic patterns associated with shifting.

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The Practice of Structural Equation Modeling

Encyclopedia of Business Analytics and Optimization ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-5202-6.ch225 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 2521-2530

Author(s):

Ho Yin Wong ◽

Jason Sit ◽

Jia-Yi Hung

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Statistical Modeling ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Sem Analysis ◽

Modeling Technique ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Business Analytics ◽

Wide Range ◽

Stage Process ◽

Point Of Reference

The aim of this chapter is to act as a point of reference for researchers, especially new users, who would like to use structural equation modeling (SEM) to perform business analytics. SEM is a multipurpose statistical modeling technique that can be applied in various business disciplines and is a useful tool to conduct business analytics. This chapter explains some common terminologies in the SEM literature and states general steps of performing SEM analysis along with an integration of the wide range of views and empirical findings on the topic. The chapter discusses the assumptions of SEM analysis, followed by a three-stage process of conducting, which includes assumptions, specification, evaluation, and modifications.

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Reflection on success and failures: scale development and validation

Journal of Workplace Learning ◽

10.1108/jwl-07-2020-0117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (8) ◽

pp. 615-626

Author(s):

Makoto Matsuo

Keyword(s):

Positive Psychology ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Strengths Use ◽

Wide Range

Purpose Although positive psychology emphasizes the importance of reflecting on success in promoting strengths use and self-efficacy, no research has developed a measure of reflection on success. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the scales for reflection on success and failures. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 was conducted to extract the dimensions of reflection on success and failures using survey data from nurses (n = 298), whereas Study 2 involved validation of the scales using a two-wave survey of physical therapists (n = 291). Findings In Study 1, the factors of “reflection on success” and “reflection on failures” were extracted by exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, the discriminant validity of the two scales was established via confirmatory factor analyses. The structural equation modeling results indicated that reflection on success promoted work authenticity, work engagement and strengths use, while reflection on failures only promoted work engagement, indicating the convergent validity of the scales. Research limitations/implications As the research subjects were medical professionals in Japan, the scales need to be validated with samples from a wide range of occupations and cultural backgrounds, in future research. Originality/value The present research expands the literature on reflection and strengths-based approach by introducing the “success–failures” dimension based on positive psychology, broaden-and-build theory and job demands–resources theory.

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Is Self-Compassion Universal? Support for the Measurement Invariance of the Self-Compassion Scale Across Populations

Assessment ◽

10.1177/1073191120926232 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 169-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

István Tóth-Király ◽

Kristin D. Neff

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Secondary Data ◽

The Self ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Wide Range ◽

Compassion Scale

The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a widely used measure to assess the trait of self-compassion, and, so far, it has been implicitly assumed that it functions the same way across different groups. This assumption needs to be explicitly tested to ascertain that no measurement biases exist. To address this issue, the present study sought to systematically examine the generalizability of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling operationalization of the SCS via tests of measurement invariance across a wide range of populations, varying according to features such as student or community status, gender, age, and language. Secondary data were used for this purpose and included a total of 18 samples and 12 different languages ( N = 10,997). Multigroup analyses revealed evidence for the configural, weak, strong, strict, and latent variance–covariance of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling operationalization of the SCS across different groups. These findings suggest that the SCS provides an assessment of self-compassion that is psychometrically equivalent across groups. However, findings comparing latent mean invariance found that levels of self-compassion differed across groups.

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Factors Influencing BIM Adoption for Construction Enterprises in China

Advances in Civil Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/8848965 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Ruixue Zhang ◽

Yuyan Tang ◽

Liang Wang ◽

Zeyu Wang

Keyword(s):

Construction Industry ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Key Factors ◽

Process Data ◽

Construction Enterprises ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Hypothesis Model ◽

Wide Range

The construction industry is one of the important pillars of the Chinese national economy. BIM, as a new information technology tool, provides an intelligent digital representation of buildings to support diverse activities and brings about a wide range of benefits throughout the life cycle of projects. However, BIM has not been widely adopted in construction enterprises in China. It is necessary to make a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the influencing factors for BIM adoption. This paper sums up 13 influencing factors from four aspects, namely, technology, economy, institution, and environment aspect. The questionnaire survey and statistical analysis were used to collect and process data which is applied to determine the influencing factors. Based on relevant literature, a hypothesis model was established by the structural equation modeling method. SPSS software and AMOS software were used to test the model. Then, the key factors influencing BIM adoption are induced. The results show that the key factors that influence BIM adoption in China include personnel quality, investment in personnel training, BIM standardization, and the influence of senior managers in the organization. Combined with the above conclusion, this paper puts forward some suggestions for promoting BIM adoption and specific measures to realize the wide application of BIM technology in the Chinese construction industry.

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Perceived servant leadership: the impact of servant leadership on intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction

Human Resource Management International Digest ◽

10.1108/hrmid-11-2019-0267 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 27-29

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Servant Leadership ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Service Sector ◽

The Body ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Good Reliability ◽

Content Type ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of perceived servant leadership on the intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction of followers. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from the responses of 205 employees working in service- sector organizations in Kuwait as part of a larger questionnaire survey on employee satisfaction and leadership. Servant leadership was then measured using Liden’s (2008) 28 item servant leader instrument and analyzed using factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results suggest that the seven factor model proposed by Linden (2008) is shown to be valid in this study with good reliability. In addition a second-order factor analysis showed strong positive correlations were found between servant leadership and both intrinsic (0.69) and extrinsic (0.08) job satisfaction. Practical implications Promoting altruistic approaches to leadership which increases extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction will have a positive effect on the organizational goals. Leaders should be made aware of this so they can put interventions in place to improve overall performance. Originality/value This paper is of value as research examining the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction has been limited so it adds to the body of knowledge with particular relevance to the nature of this relationship in the service sector in the Middle East.

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