Measuring preschoolers' executive function through performance-based measures and parent reports: A longitudinal...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Executive function (EF) skills develop significantly in preschool years, impacting socioemotional and behavioral outcomes.
• Common EF assessment methods include performance-based tasks (PBT) and informant ratings (e.g., BRIEF-P).
• Previous research indicates low correlations between PBT and informant ratings of EF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally examine associations between PBT and BRIEF-P ratings in preschoolers.
• To investigate developmental changes in EF over time using both methods.
• To assess the predictive validity of each EF measurement method for socioemotional and behavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study with 110 preschoolers (36-47 months) assessed at three 6-month intervals.
• Children completed five PBTs at each time point.
• Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF-P) and provided socioemotional/behavioral ratings at the final time point.

Main Results:

• Correlations between PBT composites and BRIEF-P ratings were consistently low (median r = .07).
• PBT scores showed significant improvement over time, while BRIEF-P scores did not.
• BRIEF-P scores predicted behavioral difficulties and lower prosocial behavior, whereas PBT scores did not.

Conclusions:

• The low agreement between PBT and parent ratings of EF persists longitudinally.
• Parent-rated EF, but not performance-based EF, predicted child behavior problems and socioemotional outcomes.
• Findings suggest shared method variance may influence the link between parent-rated EF and outcomes, emphasizing the need for multi-method EF assessment.