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Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
Published on: June 12, 2017
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Links between preschool inhibitory control and working memory and elementary school adjustment
Jeffrey R Gagne1, Chi-Ning Chang2, Fanyi Yu1
1College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.
Development and Psychopathology
|January 10, 2025
Summary
Supporting preschool inhibitory control (IC) in both cognitive and emotional domains benefits elementary school adjustment. Early IC skills predict fewer externalizing behaviors and better functioning later on.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Inhibitory control (IC) and working memory (WM) are crucial for preschool development and later life outcomes.
- IC has distinct cognitive and socioemotional components, with unclear differential impacts on adjustment.
- Early childhood development influences school readiness and long-term functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal relationship between preschool inhibitory control (IC) and working memory (WM) and elementary school adjustment.
- To examine whether cognitive and socioemotional domains of IC differentially predict adjustment outcomes.
- To explore the influence of maternal mental health on child adjustment.
Main Methods:
- A family study design with 198 families and children aged 2.5–5.5 years.
- Longitudinal data collection including online surveys and laboratory visits.
- Assessment of preschool IC, WM, externalizing behaviors, maternal depression/anxiety, and elementary school adjustment.
Main Results:
- Preschool cognitive and emotional IC significantly predicted elementary school externalizing behaviors and functioning.
- Working memory (WM) did not predict elementary school adjustment outcomes.
- Maternal depression predicted elementary school externalizing behaviors, and child age predicted functioning.
Conclusions:
- Both cognitive and socioemotional aspects of preschool IC are vital for successful elementary school adjustment.
- Targeting early IC development can positively impact children's long-term cognitive and socioemotional trajectories.
- Maternal mental health is a significant factor influencing child behavioral outcomes.
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