Executive function and the promotion of social–emotional competence

Mediators of the association between physical activity and executive functions in primary school children

There is growing interest in identifying the mechanisms underpinning the effects of physical activity on executive functions (e.g. inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility) in children. Our study examined cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and motor competence as potential mediators of this relationship. The study used baseline data from the Learning to Lead (L2L) cluster randomised controlled trial. In total, 675 children (7-11 years, 49.5% girls) completed measures of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, motor competence, and executive functions. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the potential mediating roles of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and motor competence in the cross-sectional association between MVPA and executive functions. Cardiorespiratory fitness (β = 0.06, SE = 0.021, p = 0.004) partially mediated the association between MVPA and cognitive flexibility. Muscular fitness was a significant mediator of the association between MVPA and both inhibitory control (β = 0.03, SE = 0.014, p = 0.027) and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.06, SE = 0.021, p = 0.005). No significant mediated effects were found for motor competence. Our findings suggest cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness (but not motor competence) mediate the association between physical activity and executive functions in children.

Network analysis of structural MRI predicts executive function in paediatric traumatic brain injury

INTRO

Paediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) is likely to result in cognitive impairment, specifically executive dysfunction. Evidence of the neuroanatomical correlates of this executive function (EF) impairment is derived from studies that treat morphometry of brain regions as distinct, independent features, rather than as a complex network of interrelationships. Morphometric similarity captures the meso-scale organisation of the cortex as the interrelatedness of multiple macro-architectural features and presents a novel tool with which to investigate the brain post pTBI.

METHODS

In a retrospective sample (83 pTBI patients, 33 controls), we estimate morphometric similarity from structural MRI by correlating morphometric features between cortical regions. We compared the meso-scale organisation of the cortex between groups then, using partial least squares regression, assessed the predictive validity of morphometric similarity in understanding later executive functioning, two years post-injury.

RESULTS

We found that patients and controls did not differ in terms of the overall magnitude of morphometric similarity. However, a pattern of ROI-level morphometric similarity was predictive of day-to-day EF difficulties reported by parents two years post-injury. This prediction was validated using a leave-one-out, and 20-fold cross-validation approach. Prediction was driven by regions of the prefrontal cortex, typically important for healthy maturation of EF skills in childhood. The meso-scale organisation of the cortex also produced more accurate predictions than any one morphometric feature (i.e. cortical thickness or folding index) alone.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that these methodologies show utility in predicting later executive functioning in this population.

Development of working memory, processing speed, and psychosocial functions in patients with pediatric cancer

Many patients after pediatric cancer suffer from long-term cognitive difficulties. This study investigates the development of cognitive and psychosocial functions between diagnosis and one year after cancer treatment and reveals insight into the association between cognitive and psychosocial development and various risk factors. This retrospective clinical record review included fifty-seven patients, aged 4-16 years, that were examined at the beginning of the cancer treatment (T1) and one year after cancer treatment (T2) to evaluate the development of working memory (WM), processing speed (PS), psychosocial functions, and quality of life (QoL). About half of the patients showed stable/favorable cognitive development (PS 51.9%; WM 41.4%). The other half exhibited a non-favorable cognitive development, with a decrease of performance between T1 and T2. In 51.6-77.4%, psychosocial functions remained stable/increased between T1 and T2 and QoL scores remained stable in 42.9-61.9%. Changes in prosocial behavior correlated with the development of PS (r = 0.472, p = 0.010). Age at T1 predicted PS at T2 (p = 0.020) and sex predicted peer relations at T2 (p = 0.046). About half of the patients showed stable/favorable whereas the other half experiencing non-favorable cognitive development. The observed disparities in initial and subsequent cognitive performances highlight the importance of early individualized patient monitoring and interventions. IMPACT: We investigated the cognitive and psychosocial development of pediatric cancer patients between diagnosis and one year after termination of cancer treatment. About half of the patients showed stable or favorable cognitive development in processing speed and working memory. The other half exhibited a non-favorable cognitive development, with decreasing performance. Baseline working memory and processing speed was negatively correlated with the respective change score. Changes in prosocial behavior were positively correlated with the development of processing speed. Early individualized patient monitoring and intervention is of crucial importance after pediatric cancer and its treatment.

Ten-Minute Physical Activity Breaks Improve Attention and Executive Functions in Healthcare Workers

Occupational health is a major problem in modern work environments. Physical activity breaks (PABs), short exercise periods delivered during working hours, incorporating exergames or outdoor activities, have emerged as a novel approach that could be used to improve work efficiency and workplace wellbeing. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of PABs on attention levels and executive functions in healthcare workers. A total of 27 healthcare workers (M = 14, W = 13; 49.55 ± 12.46 years), after 4 h of work, randomly performed one of three 10 min conditions weekly in a counterbalanced order: No Physical Activity Break (NPAB); Outdoor Physical Activity Break (OPAB); Physical Activity Break with Exergame (PABEx). After the conditions, executive functions and selective attention were assessed by the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), and the Trail Making A,B test (TMT A,B), respectively. Significant differences between OPAB and NPAB as well as between PABEx and NPAB in the TMT-A test χ2(2) = 44.66 (p < 0.001) and TMT-B test χ2(2) = 48.67 (p < 0.001) were found, respectively. TMT-A and SCWT interference/time scores of the PABEx and OPAB conditions were significantly lower than those of NPAB (p < 0.001). In the SCWT interference/error score, no significant difference was found between the PABEx and NPAB (p > 0.05), but the score was statistically lower in the OPAB condition than PABEx (p = 0.001) and PABEx condition compared to OPAB for TMT-A (p = 0.001). Findings showed that the OPAB and PABEx conditions are effective in improving selective attention and executive functions in healthcare workers. Employers can foster a healthier and more productive workforce by promoting a culture of movement and prioritizing employee health, which in turn can enhance patient care outcomes.

Executive dysfunction as a possible mediator for the association between excessive screen time and problematic behaviors in preschoolers

Excessive screen time in children is a growing concern for parents and healthcare providers worldwide because it frequently leads to behavioral problems. Although executive dysfunction is proposed to be one of the contributing factors to maladaptive behaviors, little is known about the link between screen time and behaviors. This study aimed to identify whether executive dysfunction contributes to the negative behaviors of children exposed to excessive screen time. A cross-sectional study was conducted on preschool-aged children from public and private schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The parents/guardians of each child completed the questionnaires regarding clinical characteristics and screen time use, the Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Children with more than one hour of media exposure per day were considered to have excessive screen time. Multivariable Gaussian regression was analyzed to compare the BRIEF-P and SDQ scores between the excessive and appropriate screen time groups. Causal mediation analysis was performed to examine the effects of total screen time on increasing behavioral problems with executive functioning as a mediator. A total of 1,126 preschoolers were included in the analyses. After controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and maternal education, the excessive screen time group had significantly higher BRIEF-P global executive composite score than the appropriate screen time group (mean difference of global executive composite score = 1.49, 95% CI [0.12, 2.86], and p = 0.033). Concurrently, there were significant differences in externalizing behavior subscales and SDQ total difficulties scores between the excessive and appropriate screen time groups (mean difference of total difficulties score = 0.90, 95% CI [0.29, 1.50], and p = 0.004). A significant average causal mediation effect (ACME) of screen time on behavioral problems mediated through executive functioning was β = 0.28, 95% CI [0.13-0.44], which was more than half of the total effect (54.9%, 95% CI [37.4-100%]). The current study suggests that the increase in behavioral issues in preschoolers might be partly explained by the direct effect of excessive screen time and the mediating effect of impaired executive functioning. Our results may raise concerns about the necessity to limit screen time and monitor for executive function deficits and behavioral problems in young children with high screen time.

Treating Executive Function in Youth With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Review of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions

INTRODUCTION

Executive function (EF) deficits are common in youth with ADHD and pose significant functional impairments. The extent and effect of interventions addressing EF in youth with ADHD remain unclear.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines. Included studies were randomized controlled trials of interventions to treat EF in youth with ADHD.

RESULTS

Our search returned 136 studies representing 11,443 study participants. We identified six intervention categories: nonstimulant pharmacological (N = 3,576 participants), neurological (N = 1,935), psychological (N = 2,387), digital (N = 2,416), physiological (N = 680), and combination (N = 366). The bulk of the evidence supported pharmacological interventions as most effective in mitigating EF, followed by psychological and digital interventions.

CONCLUSION

A breadth of treatments exists for EF in youth with ADHD. Pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and digital interventions had the most favorable, replicable outcomes. A lack of outcome standardization across studies limited treatment comparison. More data on the persistence of intervention effects are necessary.

Using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales to Evaluate a Developmental Profile of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Symptomatologic Severity

Early diagnosis is crucial for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is achieved through a screening of developmental indicators to recognise children who are at risk of autism. One of the most widely used instruments in clinical practice for assessing child development is the Griffiths Mental Development Scale (GMDS). We sought (a) to assess longitudinally whether children diagnosed with ASD, with a mean age of 33.50 months (SD 7.69 months), show a developmental delay of abilities measured by the GMDS over time and (b) to analyse which skills of the GMDS could be associate to the symptomatologic severity of ASD. Our results showed lower scores of General Quotient and all sub-quotients of GMDS from first (T0) to second assessment (T1), except for the Performance sub-quotient. Three sub-quotients (Personal-Social, Hearing and Language and Practical Reasoning) also associate symptom severity at the time when the diagnosis of ASD is made.

Intelligence-Dependent Differential Effects of Media Exposure on Executive Function Changes in Children: A Population-Based Cohort Study With a Longitudinal Design

BACKGROUND

Excessive media use is known to be associated with executive dysfunction in children, but it's unclear whether this exposure can lead to long-term changes of executive function. This study aimed to investigate the association between media exposure and longitudinal changes in executive function within a population-based study, while considering the potential influence of intelligence.

METHODS

This study used data from 1,209 participants in the Panel Korea Study for Children. The children's media exposure was measured at ages 7 and 8, and executive function was evaluated annually from ages 7 to 10 using the Executive Function Difficulty Screening Questionnaire. Participants were grouped by media exposure level (low, medium, or high), and longitudinal changes in executive function were analyzed using linear mixed effects models. Subgroup analysis was conducted to investigate how executive function changes varied based on intelligence within each media exposure group.

RESULTS

Children with high media exposure (n = 97) had severer executive function difficulties than those with low (n = 141) or medium (n = 971) exposure in all waves. The high exposure group demonstrated persistent higher executive function difficulties up to age 10 after controlling for child gender, intelligence, parental education level and maternal depression. Children with intelligence quotient (IQ) ≤ 100 in the medium to high media exposure group had significantly more severe executive function difficulties than those with IQ > 100.

CONCLUSION

This study provided evidence of a longitudinal negative association between media exposure and executive function. The findings suggest that excessive media exposure may lead to long-term changes in executive function in children and highlight the importance of implementing targeted interventions and educational strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of excessive media use, particularly for children with lower cognitive abilities.

Preliminary psychometric properties of an inhibition task in young children with Down syndrome

Background: Executive function (EF) skills are important treatment targets for people with Down syndrome (DS); however, few EF measures have been evaluated for use with young children in this population. Methods: The present study evaluated preliminary psychometric properties of a measure of the EF component of inhibition. Participants were 73 children with DS between 2.5 and 8.67 years old who completed an adapted ability to delay task using a desirable toy. Results: Across two separate trials, latencies to touch the toys were significantly correlated. Latencies increased overall with chronological and mental age, with caveats for the youngest and oldest participants. Conclusion: Findings suggest that an adapted prohibition task is an appropriate method of measuring inhibition for children with DS between 4 and 7 years old, though many children in this chronological age range are at early stages of acquiring this skill set.

Executive function and underlying brain network distinctions for callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in adolescents

The complexity of executive function (EF) impairments in youth antisocial phenotypes of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems (CP) challenge identifying phenotypic specific EF deficits. We can redress these challenges by (1) accounting for EF measurement error and (2) testing distinct functional brain properties accounting for differences in EF. Thus, we employed a latent modeling approach for EFs (inhibition, shifting, fluency, common EF) and extracted connection density from matching contemporary EF brain models with a sample of 112 adolescents (ages 13-17, 42% female). Path analysis indicated CU traits associated with lower inhibition. Inhibition network density positively associated with inhibition, but this association was strengthened by CU and attenuated by CP. Common EF associated with three-way interactions between density*CP by CU for the inhibition and shifting networks. This suggests those higher in CU require their brain to work harder for lower inhibition, whereas those higher in CP have difficulty engaging inhibitory brain responses. Additionally, those with CP interacting with CU show distinct brain patterns for a more general EF capacity. Importantly, modeling cross-network connection density in contemporary EF models to test EF involvement in core impairments in CU and CP may accelerate our understanding of EF in these phenotypes.

Remote cognitive training for children with congenital brain malformation or genetic syndrome: a scoping review

Increased attention is arising on the delivery of remote cognitive interventions, which allow performing exercises in everyday settings, favouring rehabilitation continuity. The present study offers an overview of remote cognitive training programs for children with congenital brain malformation or genetic syndrome affecting the central nervous system, included in papers published in the time period 2011-2021. A total of 13 records was found and discussed including efficacy studies, feasibility studies and study protocols. Many studies have focused on a specific diagnosis, such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, while no or little evidence has been gathered on more rare diseases or brain malformations. Interventions were found to generate benefits on some cognitive functions, but problems with adherence were highlighted, especially due to excessive cognitive load from the training or clinical comorbidities. Conclusions remain tentative due to heterogeneity in training, study and patients characteristics, and methodological limitations of studies.

The effects of socioeconomic status on working memory in childhood are partially mediated by intersensory processing of audiovisual events in infancy

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-established predictor of individual differences in childhood language and cognitive functioning, including executive functions such as working memory. In infancy, intersensory processing-selectively attending to properties of events that are redundantly specified across the senses at the expense of non-redundant, irrelevant properties-also predicts language development. Our recent research demonstrates that individual differences in intersensory processing in infancy predict a variety of language outcomes in childhood, even after controlling for SES. However, relations among intersensory processing and cognitive outcomes such as working memory have not yet been investigated. Thus, the present study examines relations between intersensory processing in infancy and working memory in early childhood, and the role of SES in this relation. Children (N = 101) received the Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol at 12-months to assess intersensory processing (face-voice and object-sound matching) and received the WPPSI at 36-months to assess working memory. SES was indexed by maternal education, paternal education, and income. A variety of novel findings emerged. 1) Individual differences in intersensory processing at 12-months predicted working memory at 36-months of age even after controlling for SES. 2) Individual differences in SES predicted intersensory processing at 12-months of age. 3) The well-established relation between SES and working memory was partially mediated by intersensory processing. Children from families of higher-SES have better intersensory processing skills at 12-months and this combination of factors predicts greater working memory two years later at 36-months. Together these findings reveal the role of intersensory processing in cognitive functioning.

Early and stable difficulties of everyday executive functions predict autism symptoms and emotional/behavioral problems in preschool age children with autism: a 2-year longitudinal study

Introduction

Longitudinal studies of autistic children show that autism symptoms and emotional/behavioral problems vary and change over time. However, the factors that affect this variability remain far from certain and very little is known about what take place in the preschool period and the role of executive functions (EF).

Methods

Here, we test the influence of stable difficulties in everyday executive functioning (EEF) during early childhood across 2 years on autistic symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems. Twenty-nine autistic children (24 males and 5 females) were assessed twice within the space of 2 years. At baseline (M = 29 months, SD =5.6 months), participants were assessed for EEF, cognitive development, autistic symptoms, and emotional/behavioral problems. At follow-up, we repeated the same assessment except for cognitive development.

Results

The group with stable difficulties (across 2 years) in EEF during early childhood showed a worsening in the severity of autistic symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems compared with children without EEF difficulties (p < 0.05), and these effects cannot be attributable to cognitive development.

Discussion

Our results suggest that early and stable EEF plays the role of a modifier by interacting with the core domains of autism, in particular with the social affect domain (SA CSS), influencing social cognition and exacerbating or lessening symptom expression and emotional behavioral problems. These short-term longitudinal and preliminary findings underscore the importance of EEF as necessary target for early intervention in children with autism.

Study protocol: How does cognitive flexibility relate to other executive functions and learning in healthy young adults?

BACKGROUND

Cognitive flexibility (CF) enables individuals to readily shift from one concept or mode of practice/thoughts to another in response to changes in the environment and feedback, making CF vital to optimise success in obtaining goals. However, how CF relates to other executive functions (e.g., working memory, response inhibition), mental abilities (e.g., creativity, literacy, numeracy, intelligence, structure learning), and social factors (e.g., multilingualism, tolerance of uncertainty, perceived social support, social decision-making) is less well understood. The current study aims to (1) establish the construct validity of CF in relation to other executive function skills and intelligence, and (2) elucidate specific relationships between CF, structure learning, creativity, career decision making and planning, and other life skills.

METHODS

This study will recruit up to 400 healthy Singaporean young adults (age 18-30) to complete a wide range of cognitive tasks and social questionnaires/tasks. The richness of the task/questionnaire battery and within-participant administration enables us to use computational modelling and structural equation modelling to examine connections between the latent constructs of interest.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT

The current study is the first systematic investigation into the construct validity of CF and its interrelationship with other important cognitive skills such as learning and creativity, within an Asian context. The study will further explore the concept of CF as a non-unitary construct, a novel theoretical proposition in the field. The inclusion of a structure learning paradigm is intended to inform future development of a novel intervention paradigm to enhance CF. Finally, the results of the study will be useful for informing classroom pedagogy and the design of lifelong learning policies and curricula, as part of the wider remit of the Cambridge-NTU Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC).

Intimate Partner Violence and Child and Adolescent Cognitive Development: A Systematic Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health and human rights issue, with millions of children affected worldwide. While several reviews have explored the emotional-behavioural functioning of children exposed to IPV, this review aimed to examine the relationship between children's exposure to IPV and their cognitive development, and to identify associated factors such as aspects of parenting. The databases MEDLINE, PsycInfo, EMBASE, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, CINAHL, and ERIC were searched using key words related to IPV, such as domestic, family, partner, interparental, spousal, marital, violence, abuse, aggression, assault, combined with key words related to cognitive functioning, such as neuropsychological, executive, intelligence, learning, memory, and key words related to children and adolescents. A total of 38 studies met the criteria for review which included reporting an estimate of the relationship between IPV and cognition using direct assessments of cognitive functioning. Approximately 70% of studies found a relationship between IPV and poorer cognitive functioning, with general IQ the most frequently assessed domain of functioning, followed by verbal abilities and academic skills. Most studies assessed skills during early childhood, with fewer studies assessing children during middle childhood and adolescence. Results were consistent across cognitive domains and developmental stages. In terms of factors associated with IPV and cognition, a range of demographic, individual, and family factors were included, with several studies exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. The findings suggest that IPV in childhood is associated with poorer cognitive skills across a range of domains. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed.

Do executive functions buffer against COVID-19 stress?: A latent variable approach

Levels of COVID-19 stress have soared worldwide as a result of the pandemic. Given the pernicious psychological and physiological effects of stress, there is an urgent need for us to protect populations against the pandemic's psychological impact. While there exists literature documenting the prevalence of COVID-19 stress among various populations, insufficient research has investigated psychological factors that might mitigate this worrying trend. To address this gap in the literature, the current study seeks to examine executive functions as a potential cognitive buffer against COVID-19 stress. To do so, the study adopted a latent variable approach to examine three latent factors of executive functions and their relation to COVID-19 stress among a sample of 243 young adults. Structural equation models showed differential associations between COVID-19 stress and the latent factors of executive functions. While the latent factor of updating working memory was associated with attenuated COVID-19 stress, task switching and inhibitory control were not significantly associated with COVID-19 stress. These results further our understanding of the critical processes of executive functions and highlight the nuanced link between executive functions and pandemic-related stress.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04652-8.

Virtual Reality Training of Social Skills in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Examination of Acceptability, Usability, User Experience, Social Skills, and Executive Functions

Poor social skills in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are associated with reduced independence in daily life. Current interventions for improving the social skills of individuals with ASD fail to represent the complexity of real-life social settings and situations. Virtual reality (VR) may facilitate social skills training in social environments and situations similar to those in real life; however, more research is needed to elucidate aspects such as the acceptability, usability, and user experience of VR systems in ASD. Twenty-five participants with ASD attended a neuropsychological evaluation and three sessions of VR social skills training, which incorporated five social scenarios with three difficulty levels. Participants reported high acceptability, system usability, and user experience. Significant correlations were observed between performance in social scenarios, self-reports, and executive functions. Working memory and planning ability were significant predictors of the functionality level in ASD and the VR system's perceived usability, respectively. Yet, performance in social scenarios was the best predictor of usability, acceptability, and functionality level. Planning ability substantially predicted performance in social scenarios, suggesting an implication in social skills. Immersive VR social skills training in individuals with ASD appears to be an appropriate service, but an errorless approach that is adaptive to the individual's needs should be preferred.

Maternal executive function, authoritarian attitudes, and hostile attribution bias as interacting predictors of harsh parenting

Executive function (EF) plays a key role in healthy development and human functioning across multiple domains, including socially, behaviorally, and in the self-regulation of cognition and emotion. Prior research has associated lower levels of maternal EF with harsher and more reactive parenting, and mothers' social cognitive attributes like authoritarian child-rearing attitudes and hostile attribution biases also contribute to harsh parenting practices. There have been few studies that explore the intersection of maternal EF and social cognitions. The present study addresses this gap by testing whether the relationship between individual differences in maternal EF and harsh parenting behaviors is statistically moderated separately by maternal authoritarian attitudes and hostile attribution bias. Participants were 156 mothers in a socioeconomically diverse sample. Multi-informant and multimethod assessments of harsh parenting and EF were utilized, and mothers self-reported on their child-rearing attitudes and attribution bias. Harsh parenting was negatively associated with maternal EF and hostile attribution bias. Authoritarian attitudes significantly interacted with EF (and the attribution bias interaction was marginally significant) in prediction of variance in harsh parenting behaviors. Commensurate with social information processing theory, EF and social cognitive attributes play critical and distinct roles in the causes of harsh caregiving practices. Findings elucidate that reforming parental social cognitions, in addition to targeting EF, may be effective prevention and intervention methods for yielding more positive parenting behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Are facet-specific task trainings efficient in improving children's executive functions and why (they might not be)? A multi-facet latent change score approach

It currently remains unclear how facet-specific trainings of three core modules of executive function (EF; updating, switching, and inhibition) directly compare regarding efficacy, whether improvements on trained tasks transfer to nontrained EF tasks, and which factors predict children's improvements. The current study systematically investigated three separate EF trainings in 6- to 11-year-old children (N = 229) using EF-specific trainings that were similar in structure, design, and intensity. Children participated in pre- and posttest assessments of the three EFs and were randomly allocated to one of three EF trainings or to an active or passive control group. Multivariate latent change score models revealed that only the updating group showed training-specific improvements in task performance that were larger compared with active controls as well as passive controls. In contrast, there were no training-specific benefits of training switching or inhibition. Latent changes in the three EF tasks were largely independent, and there was no evidence of transfer effects to nontrained EF tasks. Lower baseline performance and older age predicted larger changes in EF performance. These seemingly opposing effects support compensation accounts as well as developmental theories of EF, and they highlight the importance of simultaneously accounting for multiple predictors within one model. In line with recent theoretical proposals of EF development, we provide new systematic evidence that questions whether modular task trainings represent an efficient approach to improve performance in narrow or in broader indicators of EF. Thereby, this evidence ultimately highlights the need for more comprehensive assessments of EF and, subsequently, the development of new training approaches.

Effects of foster care intervention and caregiving quality on the bidirectional development of executive functions and social skills following institutional rearing

Institutional rearing negatively impacts the development of children's social skills and executive functions (EF). However, little is known about whether childhood social skills mediate the effects of the foster care intervention (FCG) and foster caregiving quality following early institutional rearing on EF and social skills in adolescence. We examined (a) whether children's social skills at 8 years mediate the impact of the FCG on the development of EF at ages 12 and 16 years, and (b) whether social skills and EF at ages 8 and 12 mediate the relation between caregiving quality in foster care at 42 months and subsequent social skills and EF at age 16. Participants included abandoned children from Romanian institutions, who were randomly assigned to a FCG (n = 68) or care as usual (n = 68), and a never-institutionalized group (n = 135). At ages 8, 12, and 16, social skills were assessed via caregiver and teacher reports and EF were assessed via the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Caregiving quality of foster caregivers was observed at 42 months. FCG predicted better social skills at 8 years, which in turn predicted better EF in adolescence. Higher caregiver quality in foster care at 42 months predicted better social skills at 8 and 12 years, and better EF at 12 years, which in turn predicted 16-year EF and social skills. These findings suggest that interventions targeting caregiving quality within foster care home environments may have long-lasting positive effects on children's social skills and EF.

Cochlear Implants or Hearing Aids: Speech Perception, Language, and Executive Function Outcomes

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine whether children with severe hearing loss (HL) who use hearing aids (HAs) may experience added value in the perception of speech, language development, and executive function (EF) compared to children who are hard of hearing (HH) or children who are deaf and who use cochlear implants (CIs) and would benefit from CIs over HAs. The results contribute to the ongoing debate concerning CI criteria. We addressed the following research question to achieve this aim: Do children who are HH or deaf with CIs perform better than children with severe HL with HAs with respect to auditory speech perception, and receptive vocabulary and/or EF?

DESIGN

We compared two groups of children with severe HL, profound HL or deafness, with CIs or HAs, matched for gender, test age (range, 8 to 15 years), socioeconomic status, and nonverbal intelligence quotient. Forty-three children had CIs (pure-tone average at 2000 and 4000 Hz >85 dB HL), and 27 children had HAs (mean pure-tone average: 69 dB HL). We measured speech perception at the conversational level (65 dB SPL) and the soft speech perception level (45 dB SPL). We established receptive vocabulary using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III-NL. We tested EF using the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System battery and the Dutch Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. We employed the Mann-Whitney U test to compare data between the CI and HA groups. We used Chi-square goodness of fit tests to contrast the CI and HA group distributions with the norm data of children who are typically developing (TD). We harnessed Kendall's Tau-b to investigate relationships between the study variables.

RESULTS

Both groups of children, with CIs and Has, obtained ceiling scores for perception of speech on a conversational level. However, the HA group exhibited significantly lower perception on a soft speech level scores (68 %) than the CI group (87%). No difference was present between the receptive vocabulary distributions of the CI and HA groups. The median receptive vocabulary standard scores for both groups were well within the normal range (CI group: 93; HA group: 96). In addition, we did not find any difference in EF between the CI and HA groups. For planning and verbal memory, the distributions of observed scores for children with CIs were different from the expected distributions of children who are TD. In both groups, a large proportion of children obtained below-average scores for planning (CI: 44%; HA: 33%) and for long-term verbal memory (CI: 44%; HA: 35%). In the HA group, perception at a soft speech level was associated with receptive vocabulary and planning. In the CI group, we did not find any associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Both groups of children with severe and profound HL with HAs exhibit less favorable auditory perception on the soft speech level, but not at a conversational level, compared to children who are HH or deaf with CIs. Both groups, children with CIs and HAs, only exhibit more problems in planning and verbal memory than the norm groups of children who are TD. The results indicate that to obtain age-appropriate levels of receptive vocabulary and EF, the perception at the soft speech level is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite.

Executive Function Deficits and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomatology in a Nonclinical Adult Sample: A Latent Variable Analysis

While borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology has been studied extensively in clinical populations, the mechanisms underlying its manifestation in nonclinical populations remain largely understudied. One aspect of BPD symptomatology in nonclinical populations that has not been well studied is cognitive mechanisms, especially in relation to executive functions. To explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying BPD symptomatology in nonclinical populations, we analysed a large-scale dataset of 233 young adults that were administered with nine executive function tasks and BPD symptomatology assessments. Our structural equation modelling did not find any significant relations between latent factors of executive functions and the severity of BPD symptomatology. Contrary to our hypothesis, our result suggests that deficits in executive functions were not a risk factor for BPD symptomatology in the nonclinical young adult sample.

Children's social emotional competence in Pakistan and Sweden: Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Social Competence Scale (teacher edition)

Introduction

Social emotional competence is fundamental to the positive development of children and youth. Accurately understanding and assessing children's social emotional competencies, using psychometrically sound instruments, are essential to global efforts to support children's social emotional learning, academic achievements, and health. This study examined the psychometric properties of a teacher-reported measure of young children's social emotional competence, the Social Competence Scale - Teacher edition (SCS-T), in two samples of children growing up with varied economic resources/conditions, cultural norms, and educational experiences, namely Pakistan (N = 396) and Sweden (N = 309).

Methods

Participants were aged 4-6 years old. The study design was cross-sectional.

Results and Discussion

Using structural equation modelling, bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis models implying shared variance, among all items and domain-specific shared variance, among the prosocial items, emotion regulation items, and academic skills items resulted in good fitting models in each respective sample. Invariance testing across samples revealed a subset of items from each factor structure with partial scalar invariance, whereby five items had equal thresholds and could be comparable across the two samples. Thus, results provided partial support for hypotheses 1, 2, and 3, in that the posited three factor model (H1) was not clearly supported and a bi-factor model evidenced the best fit, among tested models, for both samples. Further, partial scalar invariance (H3) was found for five items out of 25 items, concerning social competence and academic skills. In regards, to the posited research question, the results of Z-tests showed significant (p < 0.001) latent mean differences between the samples. Compared to the Swedish sample, the Pakistani sample was 1.80 units lower on social competence (z = -6.41, p < 0.001) and 1.86 units lower on academic skills (z = -7.87, p < 0.001). The implications of these findings in light of efforts to promote positive child development in diverse parts of the world are considered.

Prospective associations of lifestyle patterns in early childhood with socio-emotional and behavioural development and BMI: An outcome-wide analysis of the EDEN mother-child cohort

BACKGROUND

Children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRB), comprising diet, screen time, physical activity, and sleep, combine into "lifestyle patterns", which may exert a synergistic effect on health. To date, studies investigating this synergy have primarily focused on obesity risk, without addressing other facets of health.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the prospective associations of preschoolers' lifestyle patterns with socio-emotional, behavioural, and body mass index (BMI) outcomes at 8 years.

METHODS

Participants were 876 children from the EDEN mother-child cohort. Three lifestyle patterns (unhealthy, healthy, and mixed) were previously identified at age 5, separately in boys and girls. At age 8, height and weight measures generated BMI z-scores while social-emotional and behavioural development was assessed by parents using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Drawing from the outcome-wide approach, sex- and outcome-specific adjusted linear regressions were fitted.

RESULTS

Boys' adherence to a healthy lifestyle pattern (combining a nutrient-dense diet and limited screen time) at 5 years was positively associated with prosocial behaviours (β = 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01, 0.26) and inversely related to hyperactivity-inattention symptoms (β = -0.12; 95% CI -0.23, -0.01) at 8 years. Girls' mixed lifestyle pattern (sugar or artificially sweetened beverages, high screen, physical activity and low sleep times) was associated with prosocial behaviours (β = 0.12; 95% CI 0.01, 0.23). There was no evidence of associations between lifestyle patterns and BMI z-scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest synergistic benefits of engaging in a combination of optimal EBRBs, especially in boys, and support intervention efforts at preschool age to enhance some dimensions of their later socio-emotional and behavioural development.

Interactive technology use and child development: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

There is mixed evidence regarding the impact of interactive digital devices on child development. Tentatively some studies suggested that the use of digital devices may correlate negatively with language, executive function, and motor skills. However, attempts to amalgamate this evidence has been limited related to the available number of experimental and cohort studies that have evaluated the impact of digital technology use on child development. We conducted this review to determine the impact of interactive digital devices on child development among children aged 7 years or younger. Interactive technology has been defined as methods, tools, or devices that users interact with in order to achieve specific tasks.

DATA SOURCE

To carry out this systematic review, databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies.

STUDY SELECTION

We used the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data extraction and synthesis was carried out by two reviewers and checked by a third reviewer. Studies were stratified into tiers depending on the level of evidence provided and the domain of development assessed.

RESULTS

Fifty-three studies were eligible for inclusion in the review, 39 Tier 1 (randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies) and 16 Tier 2 (descriptive studies). Children's use of interactive digital technology was positively associated with receptive language and executive function and negatively associated or unrelated to motor proficiency. Other critical aspects informing the evidence, such as dose of exposure, intensity, or duration, were inconsistently reported, making estimates of exposure tentative and imprecise.

CONCLUSION

The studies included in this review were predominantly correlational or comparative in nature and focuses on cognitive domains of learning rather than a specific developmental outcome. It is difficult to generalize our findings beyond the digital devices or applications that have been evaluated by earlier studies. The contextual factors that may moderate the relationship require elaboration in future studies.

Executive function measurement in urban schools: Exploring 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, low socioeconomic status peers. In an effort to harmonize how executive functions are measured within under-represented contexts, the present study addresses gaps in the evaluation of everyday executive functioning to better understand whether behavior rating scales completed by teachers (BASC2_EF - BASC executive function scale, 2nd edition; BASC3_EF - BASC executive function scale, 3rd edition) capture distinctions between performance-based measures. This study includes two large samples of older, ethnic minority children from high-poverty backgrounds (Sample 1. N = 243; M_age  = 9.28 years, SD_age  = 0.80; n_female  = 125; n_{AfricanAmerican}  = 216, n_{LatinAmerican}  = 15, n_{AsianAmerican}  = 6; Sample 2. N = 229; M_age  = 10.02 years, SD_age  = 1.01; n_female  = 120; n_{AfricanAmerican}  = 132, n_{LatinAmerican}  = 92, n_White  = 3, n_{PacificIslander}  = 1). Based on structural equation models testing the links between computerized performance-based measures and the teacher rating scales, the results indicate that BASC2_EF in its original form might be a good fit for some populations but there is not a strong factor structure for the current high-poverty samples. In addition, post-hoc analyses suggest that only including BASC2_EF items also in BASC3_EF or using BASC3_EF is best practice for high-poverty populations. BASC3_EF seems better able to capture different components of performance-driven tasks, whereas BASC2_EF captures overall executive functioning better than individual tasks. These findings encourage continued questioning surrounding metrics used to assess everyday executive functions in older children from diverse backgrounds. HIGHLIGHTS: This study explores whether teacher ratings of children's everyday executive functioning (using standardized behavior rating scales) capture distinctions between performance-based measures. Results indicate that BASC2_EF teacher rating scale (Karr & Garcia-Barrera, 2017) is not a good representation of everyday executive function behaviors by children from schools in high-poverty communities. The findings suggest that restricting BASC2_EF analyses to only items included in BASC3_EF (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2015) or using BASC3_EF for high-poverty populations. BASC3_EF seems better able to capture the different components of performance-driven tasks, whereas BASC2_EF captures overall executive functioning better than individual tasks.

Studying hot executive function in infancy: Insights from research on emotional development

Recent calls have urged to bridge the fields of emotional and cognitive development to advance theoretical and empirical pursuits. Yet, despite notable overlap between research on executive function and emotion regulation, a uniting theory that informs future avenues of research is lacking. Infants are known to lack emotion regulation skills, as they are developing the abilities to regulate their emotions and coordinated responses. However, the field of emotional development demonstrates that at an early age, infants are adept at regulating their behaviors in response to others emotional reactions. Moreover, although classic delay of gratification tasks are fairly ecological measures, rarely are rules expressed to infants without emotions. This paper draws from recent interest in hot executive function to link infancy research on executive function and emotion. Hot executive function lends itself as a useful construct in this endeavor because it unites the study emotion and executive function. We offer a perspective that refines hot executive function within prominent emotion theories while discussing infant executive function and emotion empirical pursuits. Our perspective presents reliable paradigms from the field of emotional development to serve as tools for studying the development of hot executive function.

The Influence of Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Processing Speed on the Psychological Adjustment and Wellbeing of Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors

Simple Summary

Processing speed (PS) is one of the most impaired functions in pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTSs) and it has been linked to difficulties in their psychological functioning, together with other non-insult-related risk factors, such as socio-economic status (SES). Given the psychological adjustment difficulties observed in PBTS, the aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between SES and psychological functioning, measured with the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and considering the contribution of PS as a mediator. The results demonstrated that the influence of SES on the CBCL total index was mediated by PS. Furthermore, PS was found to have a mediating effect on the SES–internalizing problems relationship but not on the SES–externalizing problems relationship. These findings suggest that PS may be a rehabilitation target to prevent psychological distress and should be addressed, especially for PBTSs who live in a disadvantaged situation.

Abstract

(1) Background: The relationship between processing speed (PS) and psychological adjustment in the healthy population is well established, as is that between low socio-economic status (SES) and psychological distress. While PS is one of the most impaired functions in pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTSs), previous research has demonstrated that low SES may be a predictor of increased psychosocial risk in PBTSs. Given the psychological adjustment difficulties observed in PBTS, in the current study we aimed to explore the relationship between SES and psychological functioning, considering the contribution of PS as a mediator. (2) Methods: demographic and clinical data of 80 children (age range: 4–17 y.o.) were retrospectively collected. Psychological measures were the parent-compiled versions of the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Mediation analysis models were performed on psychological measures with and without the inclusion of covariates. (3) Results: The influence of SES on the CBCL total index was mediated by PS. Furthermore, PS was found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between SES and internalizing problems but not on the relationship between SES and externalizing problems. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that PS may be a rehabilitation target for the prevention of psychological distress and should be addressed especially for PBTSs who live in a disadvantaged situation.

Relationships Among Maternal Interactive Behaviors, Preschoolers’ Hot and Cool Executive Function, and Conscience

Objectives: Preschoolers’ conscience refers to a concept revolving around moral emotion, cognition and behavior. This study investigates the relationships among preschoolers’ conscience, hot and cool executive function, and maternal interactive behaviors. Furthermore, it examines the mediating role of preschoolers’ executive function in the relationship between maternal interactive behaviors and preschoolers’ conscience.Methods: Participants comprised 220 mothers and teachers engaging with preschoolers. Data were collected during the COVID-19 period. Therefore, a research process, which suited the changing operations of day-care centers and kindergartens due to social distancing, was adopted. The mothers answered questionnaires on preschoolers’ conscience and maternal interactive behaviors, and the teachers on hot and cool executive function. Obtained data were analyzed using correlations, multiple regression, hierarchical regression, and bootstrapping.Results: Results revealed that the preschoolers’ conscience was significantly related to maternal interactive behaviors and preschoolers’ hot and cool executive function. The preschoolers’ executive function mediated the effect of maternal interactive behaviors on their conscience. Specifically, the plannning and organizing of the executive function fully mediated the relationship between maternal efficient interactive behaviors and preschoolers’ internalized conduct. The bootstrapping result suggested that the indirect effect is statistically significant.Conclusion: This study explored an area of morality that is less researched and incorporated the importance of executive function into it. Additionally, the results confirmed the mediating effect of preschoolers’ executive function on their conscience. The results obtained are expected to help organize activities for developing morality.

Anxiety symptoms, rule learning, and cognitive flexibility in non-clinical psychosis

Individuals with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) represent a critical group for improving the understanding of vulnerability factors across the psychosis continuum. A growing body of literature has identified functional deficits associated with PLEs. However, it is unclear if such deficits purely reveal the underlying psychosis vulnerability or if they are also linked with comorbid anxiety symptoms. Although anxiety disorders are often associated with impairments in psychosis-risk, symptoms of anxiety may facilitate executive functioning in certain psychosis groups. The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences was completed to assess psychosis-like symptoms in a total of 57 individuals, and its median score was used to categorize PLE groups (high-PLE = 24, low-PLE = 33). Anxiety symptoms were measured via the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and cognitive flexibility was measured by the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test. The high-PLE group endorsed more anxiety symptoms, demonstrated poorer accuracy and efficiency on the cognitive task, and made more perseverative errors compared to the low-PLE group. Within the high-PLE group, higher levels of anxiety symptoms were associated with better performance and less perseverative errors compared to individuals with lower levels of anxiety symptoms. Conversely, greater anxiety symptoms were associated with poorer performance in the low-PLE group. Taken together, these findings provide a preliminary support for a potential psychosis vulnerability × anxiety symptom interaction. Given the interest in the psychosis continuum and potential treatment implications, the present findings warrant replication efforts.

Changes in executive function in pediatric brain tumor survivors

OBJECTIVE

Pediatric oncology survivors are at risk for executive function (EF) and working memory (WM) deficits, which can be measured via performance-based measures or rating scales. Previous studies have shown these measurement methods to be weakly correlated. This study aimed to describe parent-rated EF and performance-based WM (PBWM) in pediatric brain tumor (BT) survivors, examine change in EF and PBWM across time, and investigate the relationship between parent-rated WM and PBWM.

METHOD

The sample included 56 patients diagnosed with a BT in childhood (M_age  = 6.94 years; SD = 4.05) seen twice for clinical neuropsychological evaluation. PBWM was examined via the auditory WM scale from a Wechsler intelligence measure or Differential Ability Scales-II. Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)/BRIEF-P/BRIEF-2 as a measure of global EF (Global Executive Composite [GEC]), metacognitive skills (Metacognitive Index/Cognitive Regulation Index [MI/CRI]), behavioral regulation (Behavior Regulation Index [BRI]), and emotional regulation (Emotion Regulation Index [ERI]).

RESULTS

GEC, MI/CRI, and ERI at Time 1 were significantly above the mean (p < .01); BRI and PBWM did not differ from the normative mean. All measures were significantly higher than the normative mean at Time 2 (p < .05). PBWM was both clinically and statistically elevated (p < .001). There was a significant change across time in PBWM (p < .05), but not GEC, MI/CRI, ERI, or BRI. PBWM was weakly correlated with the BRIEF WM subscale at Time 1 and Time 2 (all p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple measures of EF should be considered when providing diagnoses and recommendations for pediatric BT survivors. Furthermore, given declines across time, findings document need for continued monitoring and reassessment of survivors as they get further out from treatment.

Executive Function in Kindergarten and the Development of Behavior Competence: Moderating Role of Positive Parenting Practices

The present study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2011 (N = 15,827; 51.1% male; 48.4% White, 13.5% Black/African-American, 24.3% Hispanic/Latino, 7.5% Asian, and 6.3% other ethnicity) to examine the unique contribution of specific executive function processes (working memory and cognitive flexibility) at kindergarten entry on externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in spring of kindergarten, after controlling for fall behavior problems and demographic covariates. Due to the transition to elementary school being a critical identification and prevention period, we also focused on examining the moderating role of specific positive parenting practices (i.e., cognitive stimulation, warmth, and behavior management) on associations between child executive function processes and behavioral functioning. Results indicated working memory was negatively associated with parent-reported externalizing and teacher-rated internalizing behavior problems. Further, the association between working memory and parent-rated externalizing problems was moderated by cognitive stimulation, whereas the association between parent-rated internalizing problems was moderated by behavior management. Cognitive flexibility did not have any significant associations. We discuss implications for research and practice on how parenting practices may be leveraged to improve child outcomes.

Relationships between executive functioning and health-related quality of life in adult survivors of brain tumor and matched healthy controls

INTRODUCTION

Few studies have considered health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as a primary outcome measure in adult survivors of primary brain tumor (PBT), and fewer still have studied the cognitive factors that may influence it. Research suggests that executive functions (EFs) are associated with HRQOL, but there is scant evidence to support this. The present study was conducted to (1) extend prior findings about HRQOL limitations in a sample of stable, long-term adult survivors of PBT, (2) investigate the associations between objective/reported EFs and HRQOL, and (3) identify the EFs that contribute most to HRQOL.

METHOD

We recruited 40 survivors of PBT (> 2 years post-treatment) and 40 matched healthy controls. Participants completed an objective EF assessment (inhibition, working memory, shifting, and rule detection) and two self-report questionnaires probing EFs (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult) and HRQOL (Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36). Participants' relatives completed observer-rated versions of these questionnaires.

RESULTS

Patients' objective EF performances were relatively intact. However, patients and caregivers reported significantly more problems than healthy controls and their relatives, for both EFs and HRQOL. There were only negligible links between objective EFs and HRQOL, whereas numerous associations were found between reported EFs and HRQOL components. ANCOVA models revealed that specific reported EF processes contributed to both the physical and mental components of HRQOL, regardless of group.

CONCLUSIONS

From a clinical point of view, this study demonstrates that even several years after end of treatment, adult PBT survivors experience substantial problems across different HRQOL domains. HRQOL assessment should therefore be part of the long-term follow-up of PBT survivors, and clinicians should consider EF limitations when designing appropriate survivorship care plans. These findings indicate that cognitive interventions targeting EFs could improve HRQOL.

Self-Regulation in Preschool: Examining Its Factor Structure and Associations With Pre-academic Skills and Social-Emotional Competence

Self-regulation in early childhood is an important predictor of success across a variety of indicators in life, including health, well-being, and earnings. Although conceptually self-regulation has been defined as multifaceted, previous research has not investigated whether there is conceptual and empirical overlap between the factors that comprise self-regulation or if they are distinct. In this study, using a bifactor model, we tested the shared and unique variance among self-regulation constructs and prediction to pre-academic and social-emotional skills. The sample included 932 preschool children (Mage = 48 months, SD = 6.55; 49% female), their parents, and their teachers in the United States. Children’s self-regulation was assessed using measures of executive function, behavioral self-regulation, and emotion regulation. The bifactor model demonstrated a common overarching self-regulation factor, as well as distinct executive function and emotion regulation factors. The common overarching self-regulation factor and executive function predicted children’s pre-academic (i.e., mathematics and literacy) and social-emotional skills. The emotion regulation factor predicted children’s social-emotional skills. Identifying the shared and unique aspects of self-regulation may have important implications for supporting children’s regulatory skills as well as their success in school.

Promoting Executive Function Skills in Preschoolers Using a Play-Based Program

In recent years, play has been shown to be a powerful means to enhance learning and brain development. It is also known that through play children enhance their executive function (EF) skills. Furthermore, well-developed EF in preschoolers has been shown to be an important predictor for later academic and life success. Armed with this information a program, Building Brains and Futures (BBF), for developing EF through play was designed for 3–5-year-old. The program consisted of 10 simple, fun, and interactive games selected to enhance various facets of EF. The 10 games included were: dimensional change card sort, lips and ears, block building, musical freeze, opposites, pretend play, red light/green light, shared project, Simon says, and wait for it. The program was implemented with a group of children shown to have challenges with respect to kindergarten readiness. The approach was first, to build adult capability by sharing knowledge of brain development, EF, and the importance of play with educators, caregivers, and parents. Second, to build skills in delivering the program in the school setting. Children engaged with the program of games for a minimum of 6 weeks. Their performance on a battery of direct measures of EF, language, and motor skills, were recorded before and after the program. The results showed improvement in all three domains. In addition, adopters of the BBF program reported it was easily and successfully integrated into their existing preschool curricula. The importance of intentional adult directed play in building developmental learning, including EF, is discussed.

Benefits of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention upon School Entry: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

mindfulness meditation is effective at fostering the executive functioning of children, i.e., the skills that play important roles in academic performance and social-emotional wellbeing. One possible mechanism for such an effect might be that meditation practices can decrease stress, especially if someone is at a risk for elevated cortisol levels, for instance, due to a stressful life event, such as starting school.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

the present pilot study tested the effects of a six-session mindfulness intervention applied right after school entry compared to a passive control group. In total 61 first graders participated (Mage = 84.95 months, SD = 5.21) in this study from four classes of a primary school in Budapest. Repeated-measures ANOVA were performed to explore the effects on executive functioning skills and cortisol levels.

RESULTS

no effect was found on morning salivary cortisol levels, but the working memory capacities of girls significantly improved as a result of the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

a relatively short, story-based mindfulness intervention can improve the working memory capacities of first-graders; thus, it could potentially contribute to the academic performance and adaptation of children in schools.

Examining Heterogeneity in the Impacts of Socio-Emotional Curricula in Preschool: A Quantile Treatment Effect Approach

We examine treatment effect heterogeneity using data from the Head Start CARES study, in which a sample of preschool centers was randomly assigned to either one of three curricula interventions targeting socio-emotional (SE) skills (i.e., emotional knowledge, problem-solving skills, and executive functions) or to continue using their “business-as-usual” curriculum. Most existing research estimates only mean differences between treatment and control groups, and uses simple subgroup analyses to assess treatment heterogeneity, which may overlook important variation in treatment effects across the ex post outcome distribution. We use quantile treatment effects analyses to understand the impacts of these curricular interventions at various parts of the outcome distribution, from the 1st percentile to the 99th percentile, to understand who benefits most from SE curricula interventions. Results show positive impacts of the curricula interventions on emotional knowledge and problem-solving skills, but not equally across the full skill distribution. Children in the upper half of the emotional knowledge distribution and at the higher end of the problem-solving skills distribution gain more from the curricula. As in the study’s original mean-comparison analyses, we find no impacts on children’s executive function skills at any point in the skills distribution. Our findings add to the growing literature on the differential effects of curricula interventions for preschool programs operating at scale. Importantly, it provides the first evidence for the effects of SE curricula interventions on SE outcomes across children’s outcome skill levels. We discuss implications for early education programs for children with different school readiness skills.

Adolescent School Bullying and Life Skills: A Systematic Review of the Recent Literature

The health consequences of being involved in bullying and cyberbullying are well described for adolescents, but many questions related to the role played by their life skills remain unanswered. Accordingly, this systematic review aims to provide a clear overview of research on the relationships between bullying involvement as a bully, victim, bully-victim or bystander, and adolescents' life skills. This article systematically reviewed 71 relevant empirical studies that met the inclusion criteria, extracted from the PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Sage, Wiley, and SpringerLink databases. Their main findings were categorized according to the three types of life skills described by the World Health Organization: decision-making/problem-solving skills, interpersonal and communication skills, and self-management skills. Results showed relatively consensual outcomes for communication and interpersonal skills (empathy, moral disengagement) and skills for managing stress (coping strategies). Other decision-making or interpersonal skills, such as executive function or theory of mind, were poorly explored, and require further research, if we are to understand how life skills may be involved in bullying. Taken together, our findings highlight methodological heterogeneity and measurement problems in bullying studies that make their results difficult to interpret. Recommendations for prevention/education health researchers and professionals are provided, emphasizing the importance of considering the sociocognitive development of adolescents in bullying prevention.

Fostering Holistic Development with a Designed Multisport Intervention in Physical Education: A Class-Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Physical education (PE) is acknowledged as a relevant context for holistic child and youth development promotion. However, interventional research mostly builds on individual theories focused on specific outcome domains. This study presents a multisport enriched PE intervention that capitalizes on the intersection of different theory-based approaches to motor, cognitive and socio-emotional skills development promotion. With a cross-over design, 181 fifth graders, coming from a past class-randomized trial of enriched or traditional PE in their 1st–3rd grade, were stratified (based on their previous PE experience) and class-randomized to multisport enriched PE or control group. They completed pre-post assessments in motor and sport skills, cool (inhibition, working memory) and hot (decision making) executive functions, prosocial (empathy, cooperation) and antisocial (quick-temperedness, disruptiveness) behaviors. Children in the enriched PE group showed advantages in motor and prosocial skills after the intervention, which were linked by a mediation path, and an interactive effect of past and actual PE experience on decision making but no differential effects on other variables. The results suggest that a PE intervention designed with an integrative theory base, although not allowing disentangling the contribution of individual components to its efficacy, may help pursue benefits in motor and non-motor domains relevant to whole-child development.

The Reciprocal Longitudinal Relationship between Executive Dysfunction and Happiness in Korean Children

The goal of this study was to examine the reciprocal longitudinal relationships between executive dysfunction and happiness for Korean children. We used data from the Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) conducted by the Korean Institute of Child Care and Education. A total of 1240 valid responses from the first to third grade in elementary school were analyzed using autoregressive crossed-lagged modeling. As a result, executive dysfunction and happiness were found to have reciprocal influences over the three time points. We also found that the cross-lagged effects of executive dysfunction and happiness were stronger than those of happiness on executive dysfunction. Clinical implications and limitations were discussed.

Specific occupational profiles as proxies of cognitive reserve induce neuroprotection in dementia with Lewy bodies

Cognitive reserve (CR) delays cognitive decline due to neurodegeneration. Heterogeneous evidence suggests that education may act as CR in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). No data, however, are currently available on the role of occupation as proxy of CR in this neuropathology. Thirty-three patients with probable DLB were retrospectively included. We performed regression analyses models (TFCE p < 0.05) and seed-based interregional correlation analyses (p = 0.001, FWE-corrected at cluster-level) with brain metabolism. We aimed at exploring the relationship between brain metabolic connectivity, as assessed by FDG-PET, in the relevant resting-state networks and CR proxies (education, 6-levels occupation, and the specific O*Net occupational profiles). Education modulates executive (ECN), attentive (ATTN) and posterior default mode (PDMN) networks in the highly educated DLB subjects, as shown by an increased metabolic connectivity, acting as a compensatory mechanism. High scores of the 6-levels occupation scale were associated with a decreased connectivity in the anterior default mode (ADMN) and high visual network (HVN), suggesting brain reserve mechanisms. As for the specific O*Net occupational profiles, these modulated ADMN, PDMN, ATTN, ECN, HVN and primary visual network (PVN) connectivity according to different neuroprotection mechanisms, namely neural reserve and compensation against neurodegeneration. This study highlights the relevance of life-long occupational activities at individual level in the neural expression of compensatory and neuroprotective mechanisms in DLB.

"No Way Out Except From External Intervention": First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia

This study, called for by autistic people and led by an autistic researcher, is the first to explore ‘autistic inertia,’ a widespread and often debilitating difficulty acting on their intentions. Previous research has considered initiation only in the context of social interaction or experimental conditions. This study is unique in considering difficulty initiating tasks of any type in real life settings, and by gathering qualitative data directly from autistic people. Four face-to-face and 2 online (text) focus groups were conducted with 32 autistic adults (19 female, 8 male, and 5 other), aged 23–64 who were able to express their internal experiences in words. They articulate in detail the actions they have difficulty with, what makes it easier or harder to act, and the impact on their lives. Thematic analysis of the transcripts found four overarching themes: descriptions of inertia, scaffolding to support action, the influence of wellbeing, and the impact on day-to-day activities. Participants described difficulty starting, stopping and changing activities that was not within their conscious control. While difficulty with planning was common, a subset of participants described a profound impairment in initiating even simple actions more suggestive of a movement disorder. Prompting and compatible activity in the environment promoted action, while mental health difficulties and stress exacerbated difficulties. Inertia had pervasive effects on participants’ day-to-day activities and wellbeing. This overdue research opens the door to many areas of further investigation to better understand autistic inertia and effective support strategies.

Promoting EF With Preschool Interventions: Lessons Learned From 15 Years of Conducting Large-Scale Studies

In the past two decades, a growing number of early childhood interventions that aim to improve school readiness have also targeted children's executive function (EF), building on the theory that promoting EF skills in preschool may play a key role in reducing the substantial gaps in school readiness and later achievement associated with family income. Despite the expansion of school readiness interventions across preschool, research evidence is mixed regarding what works to promote EF development and the impact of these interventions on children's EF skills, and subsequently, their academic and behavioral outcomes. This paper reviews four intervention approaches designed to support school readiness that may also improve children's EF skills by: (a) encouraging adaptive classroom behaviors, (b) improving social-emotional learning, (c) promoting play and direct training of EF skills, and (d) improving cognitive skills related to EF. We describe program effects from rigorous trials testing these approaches, including summarizing the takeaways from four large-scale intervention research studies conducted by the authors, involving over 5,000 children. We conclude by exploring open questions for the field and future directions for research and intervention program development and refinement.

Adaptation in the face of adversity: Decrements and enhancements in children's cognitive control behavior following early caregiving instability

Cognitive control is typically described as disrupted following exposure to early caregiving instability. While much of the work within this field has approached cognitive control broadly, evidence from adults retrospectively reporting early-life instability has shown more nuanced effects on cognitive control, even demonstrating enhancements in certain subdomains. That is, exposure to unstable caregiving may disrupt some areas of cognitive control, yet promote adaptation in others. Here, we investigated three domains of cognitive control in a sample of school-age children (N = 275, Age = 6-12 years) as a function of early caregiving instability, defined as the total number of caregiving switches. Results demonstrated that caregiving instability was associated with reduced response inhibition (Go/No-Go) and attentional control (Flanker), but enhanced cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort Task Switching). Conversely, there were no statistically significant associations with group (i.e., institutional care versus foster care) or maltreatment exposure and these patterns. These findings build on the specialization framework, suggesting that caregiving instability results in both decrements and enhancements in children's cognitive control, consistent with the hypothesis that cognitive control development is scaffolded by early environmental pressures.

Is there any incremental benefit to conducting neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessments in the diagnosis of ADHD in young children? A machine learning investigation

Given the negative trajectories of early behavior problems associated with ADHD, early diagnosis is considered critical to enable intervention and treatment. To this end, the current investigation employed machine learning to evaluate the relative predictive value of parent/teacher ratings, behavioral and neural measures of executive function (EF) in predicting ADHD in a sample consisting of 162 young children (ages 4–7, mean age 5.55, 82.6 % Hispanic/Latino). Among the target measures, teacher ratings of EF were the most predictive of ADHD. While a more extensive evaluation of neural measures, such as diffusion-weighted imaging, may provide more information as they relate to the underlying cognitive deficits associated with ADHD, the current study indicates that measures of cortical anatomy obtained in research studies, as well cognitive measures of EF often obtained in routine assessments, have little incremental value in differentiating typically developing children from those diagnosed with ADHD. It is important to note that the overlap between some of the EF questions in the BRIEF, and the ADHD symptoms could be enhancing this effect. Thus, future research evaluating the importance of such measures in predicting children’s functional impairment in academic and social areas would provide additional insight into their contributing role in ADHD.