Standardizing measures of hot executive function: Individual differences in children's response to a countdown timer

Hot and cool executive function (EF) skills are typically measured using distinct tasks that differ in a variety of ways. In the present study, we added time pressure to a standardized measure of cool EF to create a comparable measure of hot EF. Children (N = 111) aged 3 to 7 years old (M_age = 5.22, SD = 1.32; 61% female; 82% White; 89% bachelor's degree or higher) completed two versions of the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS; Carlson & Zelazo, 2014), the standard, cool version, and a hotter version (hot MEFS) in which an hourglass counted down time. Children's reaction times were 359 ms/trial faster on the hot MEFS, and behavioral indicators of emotion and attention revealed a significant effect of the hourglass on children's motivational state. Older children, and children who responded more slowly on the hot MEFS, responded more accurately on this version, suggesting that reflection plays an instrumental role in hot EF. Individual differences in temperament and metacognitive reflection were significantly related to children's EF performance across the two conditions. Children high in surgency performed worse on the hot MEFS than the cool MEFS, supporting the validity of the modified task. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of introducing a countdown timer into existing tests of cool EF as a method of standardizing hot EF measurement, and it provides further evidence for the relation in childhood between reflection (pausing before responding) and successful EF performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).