Task utility and norms for the Preschool Executive Task Assessment (PETA)

Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2002

In this review we outline some of the current issues surrounding the measurement of executive function (EF) in children. Beginning with the theoretical background to the concept of EF we then review the difficulties in measuring EF in adult populations, and argue that these ...

OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

Children use executive function (EF) skills within everyday occupations; however, EF poses a difficult and complex construct to measure. Currently, many measures of EF lack applicability to daily life, or ecological validity. The aim of this scoping review was to examine two aspects of ecological validity across measures, assessments, and tasks of EF in children. A scoping review of 355 peer-reviewed articles published between 1996 and 2016 was performed. Searching revealed 43 articles addressing the ecological validity of EF measures for children and 40 measures addressing ecological validity. An increasing number of articles address ecological validity of EF measures. Future research should address the interplay between context and EF performance. In addition, research should begin recognizing the importance of parental involvement in assessments, as well as ways to capture the EF strengths of children.

2020

Introduction. The Executive Functions (EFs), namely inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility, are fundamental cognitive processes for human adaptation. This study aimed to early detect EFs' disorders in a preschool pediatric population by means of BAFE and to highlight the importance of an early intervention in children at risk of EFs' disorders. Methods: In a cross-sectional, observational study carried out in four public nursery schools in the city of Salerno (Italy), 212 children (106 males), aged between 36 and 72 months, were evaluated by means of BAFE battery (Battery for the Assessment of Executive Functions), which consisted of four tests (Card Sort, Strooplike day-night task, Pattern-making, Spin the pots), and, the BRIEF-P (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version), which is an indirect test that consists of a questionnaire including 63 items to be filled in by parents/caregivers. Results: BAFE test showed pathological scores in about 16.5% of children, at least in one task. Executive functions were worse in males, and in children with a history of "speech therapy" and "complicated pregnancy". Only 1.4% of children were detected as pathological at BRIEF-P questionnaire. No significant correlation was found between pathological scores in BAFE and both parents and teachers BRIEF-P tests. Conclusions: In preschool non selected children, the direct test (BAFE) detected more executive function deficits than the indirect questionnaire (BRIEF-P) by parents and teachers.

Research suggests that executive function (EF) may distinguish between children who are well- or ill-prepared for kindergarten; however, little is known about the test–retest reliability of measures of EF for children. We aimed to establish a battery of EF measures that are sensitive to both development and individual differences across the preschool period using Conflict and Delay subtests that had a cool (abstract) or hot (extrinsic reward) focus. Results from 151 children in three age groups (2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 years) suggested acceptable same-day test–retest reliability on all but Delay–Cool subtasks. These findings will inform appropriate measurement selection and development for future studies.

Developmental Neuropsychology, 2005

During the past decade there has been increasing interest in aspects of the broad construct of executive function (EF) in childhood. This construct, which has long been linked to cortical networks involving prefrontal cortex (PFC; e.g., Luria, 1973), includes a number of cognitive processes that are integral to the emerging self-regulation of behavior and developing social and cognitive competence in young children. These cognitive processes include the maintenance of information in working memory, the inhibition of prepotent responding, and the appropriate shifting and sustaining of attention for the purposes of goal-directed action. Interest in the early development of EF has grown in part because of research showing that the development of EF, like the development of PFC, is particularly rapid during early childhood (for reviews, see Diamond, 2002; Zelazo & Müller, 2002) and in part because of research indicating that EF is implicated in a variety of developmental disorders and early developing psychopathologies (e.g.,

Psychology Press eBooks, 2016

During the past decade there has been increasing interest in aspects of the broad construct of executive function (EF) in childhood. This construct, which has long been linked to cortical networks involving prefrontal cortex (PFC; e.g., Luria, 1973), includes a number of cognitive processes that are integral to the emerging self-regulation of behavior and developing social and cognitive competence in young children. These cognitive processes include the maintenance of information in working memory, the inhibition of prepotent responding, and the appropriate shifting and sustaining of attention for the purposes of goal-directed action. Interest in the early development of EF has grown in part because of research showing that the development of EF, like the development of PFC, is particularly rapid during early childhood (for reviews, see Diamond, 2002; Zelazo & Müller, 2002) and in part because of research indicating that EF is implicated in a variety of developmental disorders and early developing psychopathologies (e.g.,

Frontiers in Psychology, 2014

Executive function (EF) is an important predictor of numerous developmental outcomes, such as academic achievement and behavioral adjustment. Although a plethora of measurement instruments exists to assess executive function in children, only few of these are suitable for toddlers, and even fewer have undergone psychometric evaluation. The present study evaluates the psychometric properties and validity of an assessment battery for measuring EF in two-year-olds. A sample of 2437 children were administered the assessment battery at a mean age of 2;4 years (SD = 0;3 years) in a large-scale field study. Measures of both hot EF (snack and gift delay tasks) and cool EF (six boxes, memory for location, and visual search task) were included. Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that a two-factor hot and cool EF model fitted the data better than a one-factor model. Measurement invariance was supported across groups differing in age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), home language, and test setting. Criterion and convergent validity were evaluated by examining relationships between EF and age, gender, SES, home language, and parent and teacher reports of children's attention and inhibitory control. Predictive validity of the test battery was investigated by regressing children's pre-academic skills and behavioral problems at age three on the latent hot and cool EF factors at age 2 years. The test battery showed satisfactory psychometric quality and criterion, convergent, and predictive validity. Whereas cool EF predicted both pre-academic skills and behavior problems 1 year later, hot EF predicted behavior problems only. These results show that EF can be assessed with psychometrically sound instruments in children as young as 2 years, and that EF tasks can be reliably applied in large scale field research. The current instruments offer new opportunities for investigating EF in early childhood, and for evaluating interventions targeted at improving EF from a young age. Citation: Mulder H, Hoofs H, Verhagen J, van der Veen I and Leseman PPM (2014) Psychometric properties and convergent and predictive validity of an executive function test battery for two-year-olds. Front. Psychol. 5:733.

Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2001

Executive functions may be de®ned as those skills necessary for purposeful, goal-directed activity, and are generally considered to be largely mediated by the frontal and prefrontal cortices of the brain. These cerebral regions are relatively immature during childhood, with development thought to be a protracted process which continues into early adolescence. While early theorists suggested that executive skills were not functional until cerebral maturity, recent research provides evidence that such skills can be elicited in early childhood. The aim of this paper is to review current theories of development of executive functions throughout childhood. In keeping with contemporary approaches to child neuropsychology, three critical dimensions will be evaluated; biological factors, psychological dimensions, and developmental trajectories. In addition, the literature which addresses assessment of these functions will be examined, with reference to developmental trajectories observed in normal populations, and in brain-damaged samples, where there may be disruption to the underlying neural substrates thought to be subsuming these functions.

Psychological Assessment, 2012

This study examined the psychometric properties and criterion validity of a newly developed battery of executive function tasks for use in early childhood. The battery was included in the Family Life Project (FLP), a prospective longitudinal study of families who were over-sampled from low income and African American families at the birth of a new child (N = 1292). Ninetynine percent (N = 1036) of children who participated in the age 5 home visit completed one or more (M = 5.8, Median = 6) of the six executive function tasks. Results indicated that tasks worked equally well for children residing in low and not low income homes, that task scores were most informative about the ability level of children in the low-average range, that performance on executive function tasks was best characterized by a single factor, and that individual differences on the EF battery were strongly related to a latent variable measuring overall academic achievement, as well as with individual standardized tests that measured phonological awareness, letter-word identification, and early math skills.

Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 2006

Executive functions (EF) are a group of interrelated complex mental abilities that are involved in planning and initiating goals and carrying them through despite interruptions. As these functions are typically higher-order and involved in integrating other, more basic, lower-order functions, they are difficult to assess directly, and executive dysfunction often goes unnoticed. This is a particular problem in children, as most tests of executive function are developed for adults and have not been properly standardized in children. The aim of this article is to introduce the methods typically used to assess EF in children, and discuss the challenges associated with assessment of EF in children and adults. Issues such as ecological validity, difficulty separating individual components of EF, problems with separating EF from other cognitive abilities, implications of the degree of complexity of assessment stimuli as well as task-dependent variables that may contribute to variability in performance will be discussed. These concerns will be discussed with implications for development of more standardized measures of EF assessment in children, as these abilities are important for maximizing potential for learning and academic achievement.