Preschool Executive Function and Adult Outcomes: A Developmental Cascade Model
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| Title: | Preschool Executive Function and Adult Outcomes: A Developmental Cascade Model |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ahmed, Sammy F. (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. Dec 2021 57(12):2234-2249. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | 1519686 5U10HD027040 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Grade 3 Primary Education Grade 4 Intermediate Grades |
| Descriptors: | Preschool Children, Executive Function, Adults, Educational Attainment, Self Control, Health, Child Development, Adolescent Development, Correlation, Short Term Memory, Attention Span, Individual Characteristics, Grade 3, Grade 4, Family Environment, Parent Influence, Inhibition |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Woodcock Johnson Psycho Educational Battery, Continuous Performance Test, Stroop Color Word Test, Bayley Mental Development Index, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Home Observation for Measurement of Environment |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001270 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 |
| Abstract: | The present study examined longitudinal associations between preschoolers' executive function (EF) and adult educational attainment, impulse control, and general health directly and through its cascading effects on childhood and adolescent EF using a large, national, and prospective longitudinal sample of participants. Data were drawn from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD) and included a diverse sample (52% male at birth; 76% White; 13% Black; 6% Hispanic; and 5% other; 14.23 mean years of maternal education) of 1,364 participants born in 1991 and followed through age 26. Four main findings emerged. First, we observed significant bivariate relations between EF measured at 54 months and adult educational attainment (r = 0.36, p < 0.01), and impulse control (r = 0.11, p = 0.01). Second, early EF measured during preschool and childhood explained variance in adult educational attainment and impulse control above and beyond adolescent EF. Third, childhood EF mediated the association between preschool EF and adult educational attainment and impulse control but did not operate through adolescent EF. Finally, neither preschool EF nor EF measured at other developmental stages predicted health during adulthood. Together, these findings shed light on the direct and cascading influences of EF across development on important domains of adult functioning. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2021 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1319326 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The present study examined longitudinal associations between preschoolers' executive function (EF) and adult educational attainment, impulse control, and general health directly and through its cascading effects on childhood and adolescent EF using a large, national, and prospective longitudinal sample of participants. Data were drawn from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD) and included a diverse sample (52% male at birth; 76% White; 13% Black; 6% Hispanic; and 5% other; 14.23 mean years of maternal education) of 1,364 participants born in 1991 and followed through age 26. Four main findings emerged. First, we observed significant bivariate relations between EF measured at 54 months and adult educational attainment (r = 0.36, p < 0.01), and impulse control (r = 0.11, p = 0.01). Second, early EF measured during preschool and childhood explained variance in adult educational attainment and impulse control above and beyond adolescent EF. Third, childhood EF mediated the association between preschool EF and adult educational attainment and impulse control but did not operate through adolescent EF. Finally, neither preschool EF nor EF measured at other developmental stages predicted health during adulthood. Together, these findings shed light on the direct and cascading influences of EF across development on important domains of adult functioning. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001270 |
