Poster #165 - Behavioral Inhibition and Classroom Self-Regulation: Comparing Young Children in Hong Kong and Camden, NJ

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

Successfully transitioning into school requires learning related behaviors, specifically self-regulation. Self-regulation allows children to modulate emotions, focus and shift attention, and engage in contextually appropriate behavior (McClelland, Acock, & Morrison, 2006). Executive functions, a set of metacognitive skills that allow for the top-down control of attention and behavior to accomplish goal-directed tasks, facilitate self-regulation (Zelazo, Blair, & Willoughby, 2016). Although the relation between EF and classroom self-regulation is well established, cultural differences may impose differing degrees of demand on EF to self-regulate in the classroom (Zimmerman, 1989).
The current study investigates whether behavioral inhibition, a component of EF, predicts impulsive and inattentive behavior in the classroom and whether this relation is moderated by culture. We hypothesized that self-regulation skills would be negatively related to impulsivity and inattention, and that this relation would be moderated by culture.
This investigation utilized data gathered in the United States and Hong Kong that recruited families facing higher average levels of sociodemographic risk. In both samples, participating children were age 3-5. The U.S. sample consisted of 62 children who were almost entirely African American or Latino, 53% female, with a mean age of 4.73 years. The Hong Kong sample consisted of 131 children, 58% female with a mean age of 4.85 years. Children completed a battery of cognitive tests, including the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulder Task (HTKS). The HTKS is a measure of behavioral inhibition, consisting of 10-20 test trials which require children to inhibit an intuitive response to respond according to rules. A score is calculated based on how accurately children respond to prompts (Ponitz et al., 2008). Teachers completed the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire for participating students. The ADHD scale of this measure asks teachers to report how well statements describing inattentive and impulsive behavior describe the student (Skogan et al. 2015). Parents reported child date of birth, which was used to calculate age at assessment. Culture was coded based on country of origin.
We used logistic regressions to test our hypotheses. All analyses included gender and age as control variables. Neither HTKS scores (Exp(B) = 0.001, 95% CI: -0.003 - 0.006, p = 0.502) nor culture (Exp(B) = 0.012, 95% CI: -0.109 - 0.134, p = 0.840) predicted ADHD scale scores. A model including an interaction term with HTKS scores and culture did not yield a significant moderation (Exp(B) = 0.004, 95% CI: -0.014 - 0.006, p = 0.438). Our intercorrelation matrix did reveal a significant relationship between culture and HTKS scores. This relation remained significant after controlling for age and gender (Exp(B) = 11.895, 95% CI: 8.711 - 15.079; p < .05), with Hong Kong students performing better than U.S. students.
This investigation is among the first to consider cross-cultural differences in EF among low-income preschoolers. Results will be discussed with respect to aspects of Eastern and Westerns cultures that may contribute to this difference in the contexts of poverty.

Authors

• Patrick Michael Hanlin, Rutgers University - Camden
  Presenting Author

• Alec Morrow, Rutgers University-Camden
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brittney Twyman, Rutgers University-Camden
  Non-Presenting Author

• Man-Wai Kung, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chi-Kueng Chan, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
  Non-Presenting Author

• J. J. Cutuli, Rutgers University - Camden
  Non-Presenting Author