Poster #1 - Developing Measures of Executive Function, Learning, and Memory for the NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

The NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox (Baby Toolbox) introduces novel standardized assessments of children age 4 to 24 months, administered entirely on an iPad tablet using automatic coding and scoring. This poster will describe the development of measures for the “Executive Functioning and Cognition” (EF-Cog) domain.

The first phase of development was to conduct an expert survey (N = 567) to determine how researchers typically define the subdomains of EF-Cog and which assessments are used for children under 24 months. Results identified five subdomains that were highly endorsed: Executive Function (EF; i.e., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control), Memory (span and duration), Learning, Speed of Processing, and Complexity of Inferences. The most common measures were visual habituation (e.g., Colombo et al., 2004; Oakes, 2010), delayed response (e.g., Cuevas & Bell, 2010; Diamond & Doar, 1989; Hunter, 1917), and flanker, Go-No-go, and Stroop-like tasks (e.g., Carlson, 2005; Diamond, 2013; Willoughby & Blair, 2011; Zelazo et al., 2013).

The second phase was to conduct a scoping review of the literature on developmental assessments used to measure EF-Cog, following PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (Tricco et al., 2018). Search criteria and screening methods will be described in detail in the presentation. In short, preliminary results confirmed the assessments identified by the expert survey as the most widely used.

The third phase was measurement selection, to determine which tasks could be adapted for iPad administration with the full age range (4-24 months). The first candidate measure was a visual delayed response (VDR) task, which assesses EF and memory (Pelphrey et al., 2004). The second candidate measure was a visual habituation task, which measures how quickly children habituate to a repeatedly presented stimulus (Colombo et al, 2004). Recognition memory was measured using a familiarization and delayed memory test paradigm. These tasks can be adapted for developmental levels, using gaze detection for the youngest children and touch at older ages.

The fourth phase was to develop the tasks. Our team of programmers and measurement scientists designed an automated eye-tracking and data processing system that could be completed entirely within the iPad. Eye-tracking feasibility established a strong success rate in calibration (60%) with equal success across race and age. For gaze measures, a pilot study of 50 infants age 3-24 months found moderate correlations with age (all r’s > .50). In addition, an initial validation study of the touch measures conducted with 100 infants and toddlers revealed moderate correlations with age and the Mullen Visual Reception measures (Mullen, 1995); analysis is ongoing, and more details will be presented.

Final and forthcoming phases include norming in a sample of 2,550 infants representative of the racial and ethnic diversity of the US, across 12 sites around the country in both English and Spanish. The NIH Baby Toolbox, including the EF-Cog Domain, is projected to be available for public use in Spring 2024. This modernized infant assessment has great potential for changing how EF, learning, and memory are assessed in preverbal populations. 

Authors

• Colin Drexler, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Presenting Author

• Rachel M Flynn, San Francisco State University

• Elizabeth M Dworak, Northwestern University

• Lisa M Oakes, University of California - Davis

• Stephanie M Carlson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities