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Hot Executive Function Assessment Instruments in Preschool Children: A Systematic Review
Vannia Mehsen1, Lilian Morag1, Sergio Chesta1
1Escuela de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Temuco 4801043, Chile.
Insights
This study reviewed tools for assessing hot executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers. The Delayed Gratification Task and Child's Play Task are frequently used to evaluate these crucial cognitive skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Executive functions (EFs) are crucial for cognitive and socio-emotional development in preschoolers.
- Hot EFs, involving emotion and motivation, are particularly important in early childhood but less understood.
- Existing research lacks a systematic overview of assessment tools for hot EFs in this age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze empirical evidence on instruments assessing hot executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers.
- To identify the most frequently used assessment tools and the most evaluated hot EFs in this population.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of hot EF assessment in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review methodology (PRISMA) was employed for article selection and analysis.
- Searches were conducted across EBSCO, Web of Science, SciELO, and PubMed databases from 2000 to April 2021.
- Keywords included "Hot executive function", "Assessment", "test", and "evaluation".
Main Results:
- Twenty-four articles were selected and analyzed, identifying 17 distinct instruments for assessing hot EFs in preschoolers.
- The most commonly used instruments were the Delayed Gratification Task, Child's Play Task, and Delayed Reward Task.
- The conceptual clarity and accuracy in distinguishing cognitive and emotional components of EFs remain areas of debate.
Conclusions:
- The assessment of hot EFs in preschoolers is an evolving field with several established instruments.
- Affective factors and reward stimuli significantly influence hot EF assessment in young children.
- Future research should consider the neurobiological underpinnings, including cortical, subcortical, and limbic system involvement, in preschool executive functioning.
Abstract:
The study aimed to systematically analyze the empirical evidence that is available concerning batteries, tests or instruments that assess hot executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers, identifying which are the most used instruments, as well as the most evaluated hot EFs. For the review and selection of articles, the systematic review methodology PRISMA was used. The article search considered the EBSCO, Web of Science (WoS), SciELO and PubMed databases, with the keywords "Hot executive function", "Assessment", "test", "evaluation", using the Boolean operators AND and OR indistinctly, between 2000 and April 2021. Twenty-four articles were selected and analyzed. The most commonly used instruments to assess hot EFs in preschool children were the Delayed Gratification Task, the Child's Play Task, and the Delayed Reward Task. Amongst those analyzed, 17 instruments were found to assess hot EFs in preschoolers. The accuracy and conceptual clarity between the assessment of cognitive and emotional components in EFs is still debatable. Nevertheless, the consideration of affective temperature and reward stimulus type, could be an important influence when assessing EFs in this age range. Evidence of the possible involvement of cortical and subcortical structures, as well as the limbic system, in preschool executive functioning assessment has also been incorporated.
