ABSTRACT
Introduction: Executive functions (EFs) are linked to positive outcomes across the lifespan. Yet, methodological challenges have prevented precise understanding of the developmental trajectory of their organization. Methods: We introduce novel methods to address challenges for both measuring and modeling EFs using an accelerated longitudinal design with a large, diverse sample of students in middle childhood (N = 1,286; ages 8 to 14). We used eight adaptive assessments hypothesized to measure three EFs, working memory, context monitoring, and interference resolution. We deployed adaptive assessments to equate EF challenge across ages and a data-driven, network analytic approach to reveal the evolving diversity of EFs while simultaneously accounting for their unity. Results and discussion: Using this methodological paradigm shift brought new precision and clarity to the development of these EFs, showing these eight tasks are organized into three stable components by age 10, but refinement of composition of these components continues through at least age 14.
ABSTRACT
The present study tests two predictions stemming from the hypothesis that a source of difficulty with rational numbers is interference from whole number magnitude knowledge. First, inhibitory control should be an independent predictor of fraction understanding, even after controlling for working memory. Second, if the source of interference is whole number knowledge, then it should hinder fraction understanding. These predictions were tested in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of U.S. children (N = 765; 337 female) in Grades 3 (ages 8-9), 5 (ages 10-11), and 7 (ages 12-13) who completed a battery of computerized tests. The fraction comparison task included problems with both shared components (e.g., 3/5 > 2/5) and distinct components (e.g., 2/3 > 5/9), and problems that were congruent (e.g., 5/6 > 3/4) and incongruent (e.g., 3/4 > 5/7) with whole number knowledge. Inhibitory control predicted fraction comparison performance over and above working memory across component and congruency types. Whole number knowledge did not hinder performance and instead positively predicted performance for fractions with shared components. These results highlight a role for inhibitory control in rational number understanding and suggest that its contribution may be distinct from inhibiting whole number magnitude knowledge. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
