Poster #1 - Behavioral tasks, teacher report, and frontal EEG asymmetry measures of executive function in preschool

• In Event: Poster Session 03

Abstract

Executive function (EF) refers to higher-order cognitive processes that includes working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility and is closely related to attention and problem solving (Diamond & Lee, 2011). Deficits in executive function are hallmarks of neurodevelopmental disorders (Otterman et al., 2019). For this reason, self-reports, such as the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool (BRIEF-P; Gioia et al., 2003), have been developed to assist in identifying children at-risk for developing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Ezpeleta et al., 2015). However, the ecological validity of these self-reports when compared to laboratory measures is inconclusive (Expeleta et al., 2015; Soto et al., 2020; Snyder et al., 2021). Significant maturation of the prefrontal cortex occurs during the preschool years and is associated with gains in executive functioning skills (Fiske & Holomboe, 2019). Furthermore, alpha power, electroencephalogram activity at the 6 to 9 Hz frequency band EEG, has been shown to be dominant in young children, and is associated with performance on cognitive tasks (Broomell & Bell, 2017; Lo et al., 2013). Additionally, little is known about the predictive power of teacher report measures in predicting children’s performance on laboratory tasks of executive function, unlike parent-report (Cuevas et al., 2012).
To determine the predictive power of the BRIEF-P on various laboratory executive function, we recruited 59 participants from local Head Start preschools. Teachers completed BRIEF-P at the beginning of the Spring semester (February), while student participants were administered the Day/Night task (Gerstadt et al., 1994), Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task (McClelland et al., 2014), and Dimensional Change Card Sort (Zelazo, 2006) and EEG baseline data were collected at the end of the Spring semester (May). We expect teacher reported scores on BRIEF-P subscales will predict children’s performance on the Day/Night task, Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task, and Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), where lower BRIEF-P scores will predict better children’s performance on these executive function tasks. Initial correlational analyses suggest performance on the post-switch trail of the DCCS is negatively correlated with total raw scores on BRIEF-P subscales: shift (r = -0.35, p = 0.032), emotional control (r = -0.34, p = 0.038), and working memory (r = -0.34, p = 0.037). Total score on the Head-Toes-Knees Shoulders post-switch task was also negatively correlated with total raw scores on teacher-reported total raw score on the BRIEF-P subscale working memory (r=-0.93, p = 0.007), and was negatively correlated with total raw scores for the BRIEF-P total shift (r=-0.92, p = 0.010). In addition to teacher-reported scores predicting laboratory, we hypothesize baseline alpha frontal asymmetry (higher left frontal activation) will also predict participants’ overall performance on all laboratory measures of executive function. To determine this, Pearson correlations and hierarchical linear regressions will be conducted in IBM SPSS.

Authors

• Nicole Dennis, Western Carolina University
  Presenting Author

• Alleyne Patricia Ross Broomell, Western Carolina University