Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2025
11:29
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
9.3K
Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® Executive Function and Memory measures
Rachel M Flynn1, Y Catherine Han2, Aaron J Kaat2
1Department of Child and Adolescent Development, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Infant Behavior & Development
|August 7, 2025
Summary
New iPad-based Executive Function and Memory (EF-Mem) measures were developed for young children. These tools offer reliable and valid developmental assessment, improving upon existing methods for infants and toddlers.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Pediatric Assessment
Background:
- Existing Executive Function and Memory (EF-Mem) assessments for infants and toddlers have limitations in scope, administration, and technology use.
- There is a need for modern, efficient, and valid tools to assess early cognitive development in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate novel iPad-based EF-Mem measures for children aged 1-42 months.
- To adapt existing gaze-based and touch-based measures for tablet administration within the NIH Baby Toolbox®.
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of these new measures in a diverse, nationally representative sample.
Main Methods:
- Development and adaptation of gaze-based (Familiarization) and touch-based (Mullen Visual Reception, Visual Delayed Response, Delayed Memory Task) EF-Mem measures for iPad.
- Administration of the measures to a large, nationally representative sample of 2448 children (aged 1-42 months) in English and Spanish.
- Validation using correlational analyses with age, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd edition (ASQ-3), the Bayley Scales for Infant Development 4th Edition (Bayley-4), and test-retest reliability assessments.
Main Results:
- Measure-level scores demonstrated expected correlations with child age for both gaze and touch measures.
- EF-Mem scores showed convergent validity with the Bayley-4 and meaningful variation based on ASQ-3 classifications.
- Moderate test-retest reliability was found for all measures, with empirical reliability for touch scores also being moderate.
Conclusions:
- The iPad-based Baby Toolbox EF-Mem measures are a valuable advancement for developmental assessment in infants and young children.
- Automatic coding, ease of administration, and demonstrated reliability and validity make these tools practical for clinical and research settings.
- These novel measures address the limitations of existing EF-Mem assessments by leveraging modern technology for efficient and accurate evaluation.
