The contribution of executive function and social understanding to preschoolers’ letter and math skills
Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cognitive Development
Abstract
The influence of executive function and social understanding on
letter and math skills was examined in 129 3–5-year-olds. Tasks
were administered to measure working memory, inhibition, social
understanding, letter and math skills, and vocabulary. Using latent
variable analyses, multiple models were compared in order to
examine the influence of executive function and social understanding
on participants’ emerging academic skills. In the best-fitting
model, working memory contributed to letter and math skills, over
and above inhibition, social understanding, age, and vocabulary.
Inhibition and social understanding did not uniquely contribute to
letter and math skills, but significant relations were found among
working memory, inhibition, and social understanding. Findings
are discussed with respect to improving ways to examine the
complex relations among preschoolers’ executive function, social
understanding, and school readiness skills.
Description
Author's accepted manuscript deposited according to Elsevier sharing policies http://www.elsevier.com/about/company-information/policies/policy-faq November 18, 2015
Keywords
Executive function, Social understanding, Academic school readiness, Preschool children, Structural equation modelling, Latent variable analysis
Citation
Miller, M., Mueller, U., Giesbrecht, G.F., Carpendale, J.I.M., Kerns, K.A. (2013). The contribution of executive function and social understanding to preschoolers' letter and math skills. Cognitive Development, 28, 331-349.