@article{ref1,
title="Between- and within-person contributions of simple reaction time to executive function skills in early childhood",
journal="Journal of experimental child psychology",
year="2020",
author="Willoughby, Michael and Hong, Yihua and Hudson, Kesha and Wylie, Amanda",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
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<sub>age</sub> = 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.<br><br>Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-0965",
doi="10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104779",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104779"
}