Hot Executive Function Assessment Instruments in Preschool Children: A Systematic Review

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.