Parenting and Children's Executive Function Stability Across the Transition to School
Abigail F Helm1, Sarah A McCormick1, Kirby Deater-Deckard1
1University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Infant and Child Development
|July 4, 2020
Summary
Positive parenting supports stable executive function (EF) development in children aged 4 to 6 years. This study highlights how supportive parenting helps maintain children
Area of Science:
- Child development
- Developmental psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
Background:
- Children aged 4-6 years undergo significant executive function (EF) development.
- School transition requires children to manage attention and behavior.
- Parenting is a key factor influencing early childhood development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of parenting in the development of children's EF.
- To examine changes in EF from age 4 to age 6.
- To understand how parenting influences EF stability during the school transition.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 151 mother-child dyads.
- Children completed EF assessments at ages 4 and 6.
- Mother-child interaction tasks were videotaped and coded for parenting dimensions.
Main Results:
- Children with high EF at age 4 were likely to maintain high EF at age 6.
- Positive parenting practices were associated with greater EF stability.
- Parenting quality influences individual differences in EF development.
Conclusions:
- Parenting plays a crucial role in the development and stability of executive function.
- Positive parenting supports children's executive function during the critical school transition period.
- Interventions promoting positive parenting may enhance children's school readiness and success.
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