A Pilot Study of How LOPI Supports Children’s Executive Function Skills

• In Event: Children’s strengths for learning and communication in LOPI, in Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas

Abstract

This study focuses on how children’s daily experiences relate to their executive function skills. Yucatec Maya and middle-class U.S. 5-7-year-olds participated in an EF task to find matching pairs of bolts and nuts, while also paying attention to a water station to fill three water containers. Yucatec Maya children more often showed simultaneous attention and self-regulation by accurately sorting the bolts and nuts while also monitoring the water levels. White middle-class children showed breaks in attention and engaged in self-talk, which seemed to help them stay on task and manage their attention. Results suggest that Yucatec Maya children, who commonly engage in Learning by Observing and Pitching In (LOPI) to household work, show LOPI-related skills in their EF skill development.

Authors

• Lucía Alcalá, California State University - Fullerton

• Suzanne Gaskins, Northeastern Illinois University