Executive Function and Academic Achievement: Longitudinal Relations from Early Childhood to Adolescence.

Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 1273) were analyzed to assess the longitudinal relations among executive function (EF) components in early childhood (54 months) and adolescence (15 years) and their prediction of academic achievement. We found that after controlling for early achievement, demographic and home environment variables, only working memory at 54 months significantly predicted working memory at 15 years and that working memory was the only significant EF predictor of achievement at age 15. In contrast, all early achievement measures were significant predictors of later achievement. Further, no demographic or home environment variables at 54 months significantly predicted EF at 15, and only maternal education significantly explained variance in adolescent math and literacy achievement. These findings demonstrate the predictability of working memory and highlight its importance for academic outcomes across development. However, the lack of associations of preschool inhibition and attention measures, after controlling for early achievement, demographic and home environment variables, to corresponding measures in adolescence suggests the need for more developmentally sensitive measures of EF. Given that the EF measures used in this study are commonly used in educational and psychological research, more care should go into understanding the psychometric properties across development.

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Socioeconomic status is a predictor of neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2018-0024 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

H. J. Madhushanthi ◽

Savithri W. Wimalasekera ◽

C. Sampatha E. Goonewardena ◽

A. A. Thamara D. Amarasekara ◽

Janaka Lenora

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Parental Education ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Female Adolescents ◽

Low Ses ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Comprehension

Abstract Objective Previous studies have shown that high socioeconomic status (SES) is significantly associated with inhibitory control, working memory, verbal comprehension and IQ. However, in the Asian setting, with its prevailing poverty, information about the influence of SES on cognitive development of female adolescents is limited. This study was aimed to investigate the association between SES and neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents in Sri Lanka. Methods Female adolescents aged 11–14 years (n = 200) of low and middle SES were studied to assess neurocognitive function. After obtaining baseline data, eight subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC – IV), Test Of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI-3) and two computer-based executive function tests (inhibition and visuo-spatial working memory) were administered to assess neurocognitive measures of the above adolescents. The results were compiled into a data base and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software. Results Higher SES was associated with higher performance in all neurocognitive tests. Low SES adolescents obtained significantly poor test scores for executive function test (inhibitory control: p < 0.0001) and for WISC [verbal comprehension index (VCI): p < 0.0001), working memory index (WMI): p < 0.0001 and estimated full scale IQ (EFSIQ): p < 0.0001)] when compared with middle SES adolescents. Maternal education alone significantly predicts VCI and EFSIQ than the combined influence of parental education, occupation and income. Psychosocial adversities of adolescents were inversely correlated with VCI (r = −0.30; p < 0.001) and EFSIQ (r = −0.20; p < 0.001) of WISC and mathematics performance (r = −0.34; p < 0.001) at examination in school. Conclusion Findings of the study revealed the importance of upliftment of SES of the society to improve the cognitive and academic outcomes of low SES individuals.

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Executive function and academic achievement: Longitudinal relations from early childhood to adolescence.

Journal of Educational Psychology ◽

10.1037/edu0000296 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 111 (3) ◽

pp. 446-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sammy F. Ahmed ◽

Sandra Tang ◽

Nicholas E. Waters ◽

Pamela Davis-Kean

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Executive Function

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Rethinking executive function development

10.31234/osf.io/au9rn ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sabine Doebel

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Executive Function ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Mental Content ◽

Memory Updating ◽

Component Processes ◽

Working Memory Updating ◽

General Component

Research on executive function in early childhood has flourished in recent years. Much of this work is premised on a view of executive function development as the emergence of a set of domain general component processes (e.g., working memory updating, inhibitory control, and shifting). This view has shaped how we think about relations between executive function and other aspects of development, the role of the environment in executive function development, and how best to improve executive function in children who struggle with it. However, there are conceptual and empirical reasons to doubt that executive function should be defined in this way. I argue executive function development is better understood as the emergence of skills in using control in the service of specific goals. Such goals activate and are influenced by mental content like knowledge, beliefs, norms, values, and preferences that are acquired with development and are important to consider in understanding children’s executive function performance. This account better explains empirical findings than the components view; leads to specific, testable hypotheses; and has implications for theory, measurement, and interventions.

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Developmental Trends in Early Childhood and Their Predictors from an Indian Birth Cohort

10.21203/rs.3.rs-46054/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Beena Koshy ◽

Manikandan Sriniva ◽

Anuradha Bose ◽

Sushil Mathew John ◽

Venkata Raghava Mohan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Home Environment ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Language Change ◽

Iron Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Developmental Trends ◽

Nutrition Supplementation

Abstract Background: Early childhood developmental pattern analyses not only project future cognition potential, but also identify potential risks for possible intervention. There is a paucity of literature evaluating developmental trends in the low and middle income country settings.Methods: Trends of early childhood development at 6, 15, 24 and 36 months of age and their predictors were explored in a longitudinal community-based birth cohort study in an urban slum in Vellore, South India. Development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSID-III).Results: The birth cohort enrolled 251 children with a 94%, 91% and 87% follow-up at 6, 24 and 36 months respectively. Child development domains of cognition, language, motor and social skills showed a significant decline in scores between 6 and 36 months of age. Cognition change was maximum augmented by higher socio-economic status (SES) and nurturing home environment while stunting had the maximum negative impact. Higher maternal cognition, higher SES, and caregiver responsivity positively contributed to language change over time, while higher maternal depression contributed negatively. An enriching home environment, growth parameters and blood iron status had high association with change in motor skills.Conclusions: A triple intervention plan to enhance home environment and nurturance, maternal education and well-being, and early childhood nutrition supplementation might prevent child developmental decline in high risk settings.

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Cool and hot executive functions at 5 years old as predictors of physical and relational aggression between 5 and 6 years old

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025418798498 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 157-165

Author(s):

Sarah E. O’Toole ◽

Stella Tsermentseli ◽

Sajid Humayun ◽

Claire P. Monks

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Working Memory ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Executive Function ◽

Relational Aggression ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Delay Of Gratification ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Typically Developing Children

To study the role of executive function (EF) in the early development of aggression, the role of cool and hot EF skills at 5 years old, in the development of physical and relational aggression between 5 and 6 years old, was explored. Typically developing children ( N = 80) completed tasks assessing their cool (inhibition, working memory, planning) and hot EF (affective decision making, delay of gratification) skills at 5 years old. Longitudinal data were collected from teachers that rated children’s aggression when they were 5, 5.5, and 6 years old. Inhibition at 5 years old predicted changes in physical and relational aggression between 5 and 6 years old. Early cool EF, but not hot EF, may therefore be associated with aggression and inhibitory control specifically with changes in aggression during early childhood.

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Executive Function, Memory, and Literacy in Deaf Learners

The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies in Learning and Cognition ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190054045.013.30 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 301-319

Author(s):

Donna Morere

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Writing Skills ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Reading And Writing

This chapter discusses the interactions among executive function (EF), memory, and literacy skills. Research with hearing populations has suggested a relationship between EF and academic achievement, and there has been particular interest in its relationship with reading. While the majority of research on memory and reading has focused on working memory (WM), there appears to be a broader relationship between memory and reading than just that involving WM. This chapter presents and reviews the general literature and the research with deaf learners on the relationships among EF, memory, and reading and writing. It also presents research with deaf college students that demonstrates the relationships between reading and writing tasks and measures of memory and EF. A general discussion of the integration of EF and memory and their effects on reading and writing skills of individuals who are deaf is presented.

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Developmental trends in early childhood and their predictors from an Indian birth cohort

10.21203/rs.3.rs-46054/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Beena Koshy ◽

Manikandan Sriniva ◽

Anuradha Bose ◽

Sushil Mathew John ◽

Venkata Raghava Mohan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Home Environment ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Language Change ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Iron Status ◽

Well Being ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Developmental Trends

Abstract Background: Early childhood developmental pattern analyses not only project future cognition potential, but also identify potential risks for possible intervention. The current study evaluates developmental trends in the first three years of life and their predictors in a low and middle income country setting.Methods: Trends of early childhood development at 6, 15, 24 and 36 months of age and their predictors were explored in a longitudinal community-based birth cohort study in an urban slum in Vellore, South India. Development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSID-III).Results: The birth cohort enrolled 251 children with 94%, 91% and 87% follow-up at 6, 24 and 36 months respectively. Child development domains of cognition, language, motor and social skills showed a significant decline in scores between 6 and 36 months of age. Higher socioeconomic position (SEP) and nurturing home environment contributed to increase in cognition scores by 1.9 and 0.9 units respectively. However, stunting resulted in drop of cognition scores by 1.7 units. Higher maternal cognition, higher SEP, and caregiver responsivity positively contributed to language change over time, while higher maternal depression contributed negatively. An enriching home environment, growth parameters and blood iron status had positive association with change in motor skills.Conclusions: A triple intervention plan to enhance home environment and nurturance, early childhood nutrient supplementation, and maternal education and well-being might prevent child developmental decline in high risk settings.

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Reciprocal associations between executive function and academic achievement: A conceptual replication of Schmitt et al. (2017)

10.31234/osf.io/q3uza ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alexa Ellis ◽

Sammy F. Ahmed ◽

Selin Zeytinoglu ◽

Elif Isbell ◽

Susan D. Calkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Executive Function ◽

Math Achievement ◽

First Grade ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Literacy Achievement ◽

Developmental Age ◽

Bidirectional Associations ◽

Reciprocal Associations

The goal of the current study was to conduct a conceptual replication of the reciprocal associations between executive function (EF) and academic achievement reported in Schmitt et al. (2017). Using two independent samples (N (STAR) = 279, and N (Pathways) = 277), we examined whether the patterns of associations between EF and achievement across preschool and kindergarten reported in Schmitt et al. (2017) replicated using the same model specifications, similar EF and achievement measures, and across a similar developmental age period. Consistent with original findings, EF predicted subsequent math achievement in both samples. Specifically, in the STAR sample, EF predicted math achievement from preschool to kindergarten, and kindergarten to first grade. In the Pathways sample, EF at kindergarten predicted both math and literacy achievement in first grade. However, contrary to the original findings, we were unable to replicate the bidirectional associations between math achievement and EF in either of the replication samples. Overall, the current conceptual replication has revealed that bidirectional associations between EF and academic skills might not be robust to slight differences in EF measures and number of measurement occasions, which has implications for our understanding of the development EF and academic skills across early childhood. The present findings underscore the need for more standardization in both measurement and modeling approaches – without which the inconsistency of findings in published studies may continue across this area of research.

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Maternal education, home environment and chinese primary school children’s academic performance: Longitudinal follow-up results

Journal of Early Childhood Research ◽

10.1177/1476718x20969840 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1476718X2096984

Author(s):

Tony Xing Tan ◽

Gen Li ◽

Yi Zhou ◽

Yanzheng Li

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Home Environment ◽

Maternal Education ◽

School Group ◽

Environment Variables ◽

Group 3 ◽

Group 2 ◽

Group 1

This paper reports a follow up analysis of longitudinal date. We (1) examined urban Chinese mothers’ occupations as a function of their educational levels, (2) tested mediating effects of home environment variables after fine-tuning key variables of maternal education and home environment by excluding data that were provided by the children’s fathers, and (3) tested if home environment variables mattered differently for academic performance in the first grade, second grade, and changes the children’s grade. Data on maternal education level (Group 1: No More than Junior High School; Group 2: High School; Group 3: At Least College), maternal occupation and 12 home environment variables were directly obtained from urban mothers in January of 2019 (Time 1; N = 231); data on academic performance were directly obtained from the children’s school in February (Time 1; N = 231) and then in October of 2019 (Time 2; N = 226). We found partial support for our earlier speculation that mothers in Group 1 and Group 2 were similarly positioned on the job market. Similar to our earlier finding, we found that children whose mothers were in Group 3 outperformed their peers in academic performance but children from the first two groups performed similarly. In both times, the link between maternal education and children’s academic performance was mediated by some home environment variables such as number of children’s books at home. However, the role of home environment variables in the link between maternal education and children’s academic performance is complex and may vary with time.

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Can reactivity to stress and family environment explain memory and executive function performance in early and middle childhood?

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy ◽

10.1590/2237-6089-2015-0085 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 80-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Luciane da Rosa Piccolo ◽

Jerusa Fumagalli de Salles ◽

Olga Garcia Falceto ◽

Carmen Luiza Fernandes ◽

Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Executive Function ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Family Environment ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

School Age ◽

Maternal Psychopathology ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Introduction: According to the literature, children's overall reactivity to stress is associated with their socioeconomic status and family environment. In turn, it has been shown that reactivity to stress is associated with cognitive performance. However, few studies have systematically tested these three constructs together. Objective: To investigate the relationship between family environment, salivary cortisol measurements and children's memory and executive function performance. Method: Salivary cortisol levels of 70 children aged 9 or 10 years were measured before and after performing tasks designed to assess memory and executive functions. Questionnaires on socioeconomic issues, family environment and maternal psychopathologies were administered to participants' families during the children's early childhood and again when they reached school age. Results: Data were analyzed by calculating correlations between variables and conducting hierarchical regression. High cortisol levels were associated with poorer working memory and worse performance in tasks involving executive functions, and were also associated with high scores for maternal psychopathology (during early childhood and school age) and family dysfunction. Family environment variables and changes in cortisol levels explain around 20% of the variance in performance of cognitive tasks. Conclusion: Family functioning and maternal psychopathology in early and middle childhood and children's stress levels were associated with children's working memory and executive functioning.

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