The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Abilities and Executive Functioning in Preschoolers

• In Event: Enhancing Kindergarten Readiness: Targeting Executive Functions, Social Environments, and Cognitive Processes

Abstract

In the proposed project (to take place in Fall of 2015), we explore the relationship between young children’s emerging critical thinking abilities and executive functioning capacities. Both sets of skills are foundational to a young child’s future academic success, (Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2011; Sodian, Zaitcheck & Carey, 1991; Butler et al., 2012; deBruin, Parker, & Fischhoff, 2007; Kuncel & Hezlett, 2010). Nevertheless, to date, little research has systematically examined the mechanisms by which critical thinking and executive functions may co-develop.
Our research is based on a theoretical model of the overlapping processes necessary for critical thinking and executive functions, suggesting that executive functioning abilities may drive variability in critical thinking (Lizarrga, 2012). One hundred low-income preschoolers ages 4- to 5-years-old will participate. Tests will be administered individually in the fall and again in the winter. Children will be assessed on their critical thinking abilities in two phases, and executive function in the first phase.
In the pretest, the children complete two critical thinking measures. First, to assess children’s developing ability to use evidence when choosing between hypotheses, children will determine the size of a mouse based on the available evidence (the size of the hole), and explain their answer (Sodian et al., 1991). Second, to assess children’s understanding of the link between hypothesis and evidence, they will play our novel What’s in My Basket? game. Children propose items to be placed in the basket, and the experimenter indicates whether the item is consistent with a particular rule by stating whether or not it is ‘allowed’ to go in the basket. For each round, children have ten guesses.
To assess children’s developing executive functions, we will give children the Head-to-Toes task (Ponitz, 2008). Children are asked to do the action opposite from what the experimenter says (e.g., touch toes when experimenter says ‘head’; Ponitz, 2008).

During the posttest phase, children again play the What’s in My Basket? game to determine children’s learned understanding of the relationship between evidence and hypothesis. They also complete an additional round of the Head-to-Toes task to assess development in executive functions.

To explore the development in critical thinking and executive functions we will run two sets of Analyses of Covariance. The first will be a 2 (Timepoint: Pretest, Posttest) on the average total What’s in My Basket? score, controlling for age of the child in months. The second will be a 2 (Timepoint: Pretest, Posttest) on the average total Head-to-Toes score, controlling for age of the child in months. We also explore the relative impact of both skills on the development of the other (controlling for time 1) by conducting a cross-lagged correlational analysis.

The results from this study should provide evidence for the co-development of critical thinking skills and executive functions. Additionally, we seek evidence as to whether executive functions drive variability in critical thinking, which in turn, should influence decisions about which skills to stress in kindergarten readiness.

Authors

• Pratima Patil, Boston University

• Lauren Blackwell, Boston University

• Carley Marvis, Boston University

• Paige Kessler, Boston University

• Mary Mccarthy, Boston University

• Melissa Capone, Boston University

• Teresa Tam, Boston University

• Stephanie Santos, Fairfield University

• Eleanor Castine, Boston University

• Kelly Yixin Cui, Boston University

• Kathleen H. Corriveau, Boston University