Poster #28 - Importance of Executive Function and Emotion Regulation for Children’s School Success: Protective or Promotive Factors?

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Previous research shows self-regulation skills such as executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) are important for children’s school readiness and academic achievement (Blair & Razza, 2007; Howse, Calkins, Anastopoulos, Keane, & Shelton, 2003). Moreover, higher self-regulation has been associated with better early academic outcomes in both low-risk and high-risk populations (Blair & Razza, 2007; Obradović, 2010). These findings suggest self-regulation may be a promotive factor (i.e., associated with positive outcomes regardless of the amount of risk/adversity in a child’s life). It is also possible that self-regulation serves as a protective factor (i.e., is more strongly associated with positive outcomes in children with higher levels of risk/adversity; Wright, Masten, & Narayan, 2013). However, few studies have directly explored the extent to which adversity moderates links among EF, ER, and school readiness. Given early school success is associated with long-term achievement (Duncan et al., 2007), it is important to better understand how self-regulation relates to school readiness and whether there are differences across children who have experienced different levels of adversity.

Typically developing 4-6-year-olds (N = 58; Mage= 64.52 months, SDage = 8.97 months) participated in the current study. Families had a median income of $50,000-$74,999 and children had between 0 and 6 adverse life events (M = .98, SD = 1.28). Children’s academic knowledge was measured using the Letter-Word and Applied Problems subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to measure children’s socioemotional difficulties such as conduct and peer relationship problems, which tend to be associated with problems in school. To measure EF, children completed the NIH Toolbox developmental extension versions of the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and Flanker tasks. To measure ER, children had to open a transparent box holding an attractive toy using keys they believed would work, although none of the keys worked (Goldsmith, Reilly, Lemery, Longley, & Prescott, 1999). We coded children’s persistence (time on task) and overall ability to self-regulate during the frustrating task.

We used multiple linear regression to determine whether EF and ER were significant predictors of children’s socioemotional difficulties and early academic knowledge. Children’s DCCS performance (B=-.58, SE=.29, p=.046) and persistence (B=-.37, SE=.17, p=.03) were significant predictors of children’s socioemotional difficulties, controlling for age. Children with lower DCCS performance and persistence had more socioemotional difficulties, per parent report. However, EF and ER were not significant predictors of children’s early math and literacy knowledge when controlling for age. Next, we examined whether the number of adverse life events moderated relations among DCCS and persistence and socioemotional difficulties with two separate regressions models. We found that regardless of adversity level, having better EF and ER were predictive of lower socioemotional difficulties.

Our findings suggest EF and ER may be promotive factors for school readiness. Future research should include children who have experienced greater adversity to explore if there is a protective effect of self-regulation at very high levels of disadvantage.

Authors

• Amanda Grenell, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
  Presenting Author

• Rebecca Linnea Distefano, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alyssa R Palmer, University of Minnesota
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie M. Carlson, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author