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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Intergenerational transmission of neuropsychological executive functioning
Jennifer M Jester1, Joel T Nigg, Leon I Puttler
1Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Research Center, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Box 5740, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. jjester@umich.edu
Parental executive functioning influences child executive functioning, separate from intelligence (IQ). These executive functions are transmitted within families, impacting externalizing disorders.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Executive functioning is crucial for cognitive control and behavior.
- Family studies are vital for understanding genetic and environmental influences on development.
- Substance use disorder (SUD) risk is associated with executive function deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between parent and child executive functioning.
- To differentiate executive functioning from intelligence (IQ) in familial transmission.
- To explore the role of executive function in families at high risk for SUD.
Main Methods:
- Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from 204 families.
- 434 children and 376 parents were recruited from the community.
- Executive functioning and IQ were assessed, controlling for potential confounders.
Main Results:
- Executive functioning and IQ were found to be distinct latent variables.
- Parental executive functioning significantly predicted child executive functioning, independent of parental IQ.
- Familial correlations confirmed the transmission of executive functioning from parents to offspring.
Conclusions:
- Executive functioning is a reliable construct separable from IQ and is transmitted within families.
- This research supports the utility of executive function in studying the etiology of externalizing psychopathologies.
- Findings have implications for understanding SUD development and potential interventions.
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