Citation

Willoughby M, Hong Y, Hudson K, Wylie A. J. Exp. Child Psychol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Education & Workforce Development, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104779

PMID

31952815

Abstract

This study tested whether the bivariate association between simple reaction time (SRT) and executive function (EF) performance that has been observed in early childhood represented a between- and/or within-person association. Up to three repeated assessments (i.e., fall, winter, and spring assessments from September to May) were available for 282 preschool-aged children (M_age = 4.2 years; 54% female) who participated in the Kids Activity and Learning Study. A series of three-level hierarchical linear models (repeated measures nested in child; child nested in classroom) was used to disaggregate the observed variation in EF and SRT into between-classroom, between-person, and within-person components. EF composite scores were regressed on two indicators of SRT, which reflected between- and within-child sources of variation, along with demographic covariates (child age, gender, and parental education). Both between-person (b = -21.2, p < 0.001) and within-person (b = -13.2, p < 0.001) sources of SRT variation were uniquely related to EF performance. These results are discussed with respect to interest in using SRT as a proxy for foundational cognitive processes that contribute to EF task performance in early childhood, including the appropriateness of using SRT to refine EF task scores.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Adaptive centering; Early childhood; Executive function; Processing speed; Simple reaction time; Within-person