Associations between executive function and early math and literacy skills in preschool children

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Development
• Educational Psychology
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Executive function (EF) skills are crucial for academic success.
• Previous research suggests a link between EF and academic abilities, but less is known about its specific association with math versus literacy in early childhood.
• Understanding these relationships across different age groups within the preschool years is important for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To directly compare the strength of the association between executive function and math achievement versus executive function and literacy achievement in preschoolers.
• To investigate if the association between executive function and academic achievement is moderated by age within the preschool period.
• To provide evidence for the link between executive function and math skills in early childhood.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 92 typically developing preschoolers (mean age 58.53 months) completed direct assessments of executive function, math, and literacy.
• IQ tests were also administered to control for general cognitive ability.
• Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the associations between executive function composite scores and academic achievement, controlling for relevant covariates and testing for age moderation.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between the executive function composite and math achievement, even after controlling for age, IQ, and socioeconomic status.
• No significant association was observed between the executive function composite and literacy achievement.
• Age did not significantly moderate the relationship between executive function and academic achievement, indicating similar associations in younger and older preschoolers.

Conclusions:

• Executive function is significantly associated with math skills in preschoolers, highlighting its importance for early mathematical development.
• The link between executive function and literacy appears weaker or non-existent in this age group, suggesting domain-specific relationships.
• The findings support the role of executive function in math acquisition before kindergarten and indicate this relationship is stable across the preschool years.