Contrasting executive function development among primary school children from Hong Kong and Germany

• Katharina Schirmbeck ^[1] ; Nirmala Rao ^[2] ; Rhoda Wang ^[2] ; Ben Richards ^[2] ; Stephanie W. Y. Chan ^[2] ; Claudia Maehler ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Hildesheim

     University of Hildesheim

     Distrito de Hildesheim, Alemania

     
  2. [2] University of Hong Kong

     University of Hong Kong

     RAE de Hong Kong (China)

     
• Localización: European journal of psychology of education, ISSN-e 1878-5174, ISSN 0256-2928, Vol. 36, Nº 4, 2021, págs. 923-943
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-020-00519-9
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Previous research findings indicate that young children from East Asia outperform their counterparts from Europe and North America on executive function (EF) tasks. However, very few cross-national studies have focused on EF development during middle childhood. The current study assessed the EF performance of 170 children in grades 2 and 4 from Hong Kong (n = 80) and Germany (n = 90) in a cross-sectional design. Children completed tasks assessing the main components of EF, namely inhibition (child-friendly Stroop task), updating (Object Span task), and shifting (Contingency Naming task). Results of multilevel models showed that all three EF measures differentiated well between younger and older children across the full sample. However, contrary to our hypothesis and previous research, we did not find any significant differences in EF performance between children from Hong Kong and Germany at primary school age. Our findings highlight the possibility that issues related to the measurement of EF and features specific to Hong Kong and Germany underlie our results.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Ackerman, D. J., & Friedman-Krauss, A. H. (2017). Preschoolers’ executive function: importance, contributors, research needs and assessment...
  • Anderson, P., Anderson, V., Northam, E., & Taylor, H. (2000). Standardization of the Contingency Naming Test for school-aged children:...
  • Archibald, S. J., & Kerns, K. A. (1999). Identification and description of new tests of executive functioning in children. Child Neuropsychology,...
  • Baddeley, A. (2000). The episodic buffer: a new component of working memory? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(11), 417–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01538-2.
  • Barker, J. E., & Munakata, Y. (2015). Developing self-directed executive functioning: recent findings and future directions. Mind Brain...
  • Barker, J. E., Semenov, A. D., Michaelson, L., Provan, L. S., Snyder, H. R., & Munakata, Y. (2014). Less-structured time in children’s...
  • Blair, C., & Raver, C. (2015). School readiness and self-regulation: a developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology,...
  • Blair, C., Ursache, A., Greenberg, M., Vernon-Feagans, L., & Family Life Project, I. (2015). Multiple aspects of self-regulation uniquely...
  • Brock, L. L., Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Nathanson, L., & Grimm, K. J. (2009). The contributions of ‘hot’ and ‘cool’ executive function to children’s...
  • Bull, R., Espy, K. A., & Wiebe, S. A. (2008). Short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschoolers: longitudinal...
  • Calvo, A., & Bialystok, E. (2014). Independent effects of bilingualism and socioeconomic status on language ability and executive functioning....
  • Carlson, S. M. (2005). Developmentally sensitive measures of executive function in preschool children. Developmental Neuropsychology, 28(2),...
  • Chao, R., & Tseng, V. (2002). Parenting of Asians. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), Hand of parenting. Vol. 4: Social conditions and applied parenting...
  • Chen, F. F. (2008). What happens if we compare chopsticks with forks? The impact of making inappropriate comparisons in cross-cultural research....
  • Chung, K. K. H., Liu, H. Y., McBride, C., Wong, A. M. Y., & Lo, J. C. M. (2017). How socioeconomic status, executive functioning and verbal...
  • Correa-Chávez, M., & Rogoff, B. (2005). Cultural research has transformed our ideas of cognitive development. Newsletter for the International...
  • Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. In S. T. Fiske (Ed.), Annual Review of Psychology, Vol 64 (Vol. 64, pp. 135–168).
  • Diamond, A. (2016). Why improving and assessing executive functions early in life is critical. In J. A. Griffin, P. McCardle, & L. S....
  • Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science, 333(6045),...
  • Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychological...
  • Edossa, A. K., Schroeders, U., Weinert, S., & Artelt, C. (2018). The development of emotional and behavioral self-regulation and their...
  • Ellefson, M. R., Ng, F. F. Y., Wang, Q., & Hughes, C. (2017). Efficiency of executive function: a two-generation cross-cultural comparison...
  • Ellefson, M. R., Zachariou, A., Ng, F. F. Y., Wang, Q., & Hughes, C. (2020). Do executive functions mediate the link between socioeconomic...
  • Espinet, S. D., Anderson, J. E., & Zelazo, P. D. (2013). Reflection training improves executive function in preschool-age children: behavioral...
  • Faas, S., Wu, S.-C., & Geiger, S. (2017). The importance of play in early childhood education: a critical perspective on current policies...
  • Fuhs, M. W., Nesbitt, K. T., Farran, D. C., & Dong, N. B. (2014). Longitudinal associations between executive functioning and academic...
  • Georgiou, G. K., Wei, W., Inoue, T., Das, J. P., & Deng, C. P. (2020). Cultural influences on the relation between executive functions...
  • Gestsdottir, S., von Suchodoletz, A., Wanless, S. B., Hubert, B., Guimard, P., Birgisdottir, F., . . . McClelland, M. (2014). Early behavioral...
  • Grabell, A. S., Olson, S. L., Miller, A. L., Kessler, D. A., Felt, B., Kaciroti, N., . . . Tardif, T. (2015). The impact of culture on physiological...
  • Hackman, D. A., Gallop, R., Evans, G. W., & Farah, M. J. (2015). Socioeconomic status and executive function: developmental trajectories...
  • Hartanto, A., Toh, W. X., & Yang, H. (2019). Bilingualism narrows socioeconomic disparities in executive functions and self-regulatory...
  • Hasselhorn, M., Schumann-Hengsteler, R., Gronauer, J., Grube, D., Maehler, C., Schmid, I., . . . Zoelch, C. (2012). Arbeitsgedächtnistestbatterie...
  • Holmes, J., Gathercole, S. E., & Dunning, D. L. (2009). Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children....
  • Huizinga, M., Dolan, C. V., & van der Molen, M. W. (2006). Age-related change in executive function: developmental trends and a latent...
  • Imada, T., Carlson, S. M., & Itakura, S. (2013). EastWest cultural differences in context-sensitivity are evident in early childhood....
  • Jones, S. M., Bailey, R., Barnes, S. P., & Partee, A. (2016). Executive function mapping project: untangling the terms and skills related...
  • Lakes, K. D., & Hoyt, W. I. (2004). Promoting self-regulation through school-based martial arts training. Journal of Applied Developmental...
  • Lan, X. Z., Legare, C. H., Ponitz, C. C., Li, S., & Morrison, F. J. (2011). Investigating the links between the subcomponents of executive...
  • Lee, K., Bull, R., & Ho, R. M. H. (2013). Developmental changes in executive functioning. Child Development, 84(6), 1933–1953. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12096.
  • Legare, C. H., Dale, M. T., Kim, S. Y., & Deak, G. O. (2018). Cultural variation in cognitive flexibility reveals diversity in the development...
  • Lehto, J. E., Juujarvi, P., Kooistra, L., & Pulkkinen, L. (2003). Dimensions of executive functioning: evidence from children. British...
  • Luria, A. R., Pribram, K. H., & Homskaya, E. D. (1964). An experimental analysis of the behavioral disturbance produced by a left frontal...
  • Mazzocco, M. M. M., & Kover, S. T. (2007). A longitudinal assessment of executive function skills and their association with math performance....
  • McClelland, M. M., Acock, A. C., & Morrison, F. J. (2006). The impact of kindergarten learning-related skills on academic trajectories...
  • McClelland, M. M., Acock, A. C., Piccinin, A., Rhea, S. A., & Stallings, M. C. (2013). Relations between preschool attention span-persistence...
  • McClelland, M. M., & Cameron, C. E. (2012). Self-Regulation in early childhood: improving conceptual clarity and developing ecologically...
  • McClelland, M. M., Cameron, C. E., Connor, C. M., Farris, C. L., Jewkes, A. M., & Morrison, F. J. (2007). Links between behavioral regulation...
  • Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive...
  • Morgan, P. L., Li, H., Farkas, G., Cook, M., Pun, W. H., & Hillemeier, M. M. (2017). Executive functioning deficits increase kindergarten...
  • Moriguchi, Y., Evans, A. D., Hiraki, K., Itakura, S., & Lee, K. (2012). Cultural differences in the development of cognitive shifting:...
  • Nelson, J. M., James, T. D., Chevalier, N., Clark, C. A. C., & Espy, K. A. (2016). Structure, measurement, and development of preschool...
  • Nigg, J. T. (2000). On inhibition/disinhibition in developmental psychopathology: views from cognitive and personality psychology and a working...
  • Nisbett, R. E., Peng, K. P., Choi, I., & Norenzayan, A. (2001). Culture and systems of thought: holistic versus analytic cognition. Psychological...
  • OECD. (2019). PISA 2018 Results (Volume II): where all students can succeed. Paris: PISA, OECD Publishing.
  • Oh, S., & Lewis, C. (2008). Korean preschoolers’ advanced inhibitory control and its relation to other executive skills and mental state...
  • Peterson, E., & Welsh, M. C. (2014). The development of hot and cool executive functions in childhood and adolescence: are we getting...
  • Poland, S. E., Monks, C. P., & Tsermentseli, S. (2016). Cool and hot executive function as predictors of aggression in early childhood:...
  • Ponitz, C. E. C., McClelland, M. M., Jewkes, A. M., Connor, C. M., Farris, C. L., & Morrison, F. J. (2008). Touch your toes! Developing...
  • Rao, N., Sun, J., & Zhang, L. (2014). Learning to learn in early childhood: Home and preschool influences in Chinese learners. In C. Stringher...
  • Raver, C. C., & Blair, C. (2020). Developmental science aimed at reducing inequality: maximizing the social impact of research on executive...
  • Razza, R. A., Bergen-Cico, D., & Raymond, K. (2015). Enhancing preschoolers’ self-regulation via mindful yoga. Journal of Child and Family...
  • Riggs, N. R., Jahromi, L. B., Razza, R. P., Dillworth-Bart, J. E., & Mueller, U. (2006). Executive function and the promotion of social-emotional...
  • Roethlisberger, M., Neuenschwander, R., Cimeli, P., & Roebers, C. (2013). Executive functions in 5- to 8-year olds: developmental changes...
  • Roethlisberger, M., Neuenschwander, R., Michel, E., & Roebers, C. M. (2010). Exekutive Funktionen: Zugrundeliegende kognitive Prozesse...
  • Rummel, J., Steindorf, L., Marevic, I., & Danner, D. (2019). A validation study of the German Complex-Span Tasks and some general considerations...
  • Sabbagh, M. A., Xu, F., Carlson, S. M., Moses, L. J., & Lee, K. (2006). The development of executive functioning and theory of mind -...
  • Sarma, U. A., & Thomas, T. M. (2020). Breaking the limits of executive functions: towards a sociocultural perspective. Culture & Psychology....
  • Schirmbeck, K., Rao, N., & Maehler, C. (2020). Similarities and differences across countries in the development of executive functions...
  • Schmitt, S. A., Korucu, I., Purpura, D. J., Whiteman, S., Zhang, C. Y., & Yang, F. Y. (2019). Exploring cross-cultural variations in the...
  • St Clair-Thompson, H. L., & Gathercole, S. E. (2006). Executive functions and achievements in school: shifting, updating, inhibition,...
  • Sun, J., & Rao, N. (2017). Growing up in Chinese families and societies. In N. Rao, J. Zhou, & J. Sun (Eds.), Early childhood education...
  • Taylor, H. G., Albo, V. C., Phebus, C. K., Sachs, B. R., & Bierl, P. G. (1987). Postirradiation treatment outcomes for children with acute...
  • Tobin, J. J., Hsueh, Y., & Karasawa, M. (2009). Preschool in three cultures revisited: China, Japan, and the United States. Chicago: University...
  • Tobin, J. J., Wu, D. Y. H., & Davidson, D. H. (1989). Preschool in three cultures: Japan, China, and the United States. New Haven: Yale...
  • Tran, C. D., Arredondo, M. M., & Yoshida, H. (2019). Early executive function: the influence of culture and bilingualism. Bilingualism-Language...
  • Twisk, J. W. R. (2006). Applied multilevel analysis: A practical guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Unsworth, N., & Engle, R. W. (2007). On the division of short-term and working memory: an examination of simple and complex span and their...
  • Velez-Agosto, N. M., Soto-Crespo, J. G., Vizcarrondo-Oppenheimer, M., Vega-Molina, S., & Coll, C. G. (2017). Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological...
  • Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Larose, S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2005). Kindergarten disruptive behaviors, protective factors, and educational...
  • Wang, Z. L., Devine, R. T., Wong, K. K., & Hughes, C. (2016). Theory of mind and executive function during middle childhood across cultures....
  • Wanless, S. B., McClelland, M. M., Acock, A. C., Ponitz, C. C., Son, S. H., Lan, X. Z., . . . Li, S. (2011). Measuring behavioral regulation...
  • Weixler, L. H. B. (2012). The contributions of preschool attendance and kindergarten experience to executive functioning in Chinese and American...
  • Willoughby, M. T., & Blair, C. B. (2016). Longitudinal measurement of executive function in preschoolers. In J. A. Griffin, P. McCardle,...
  • Wong, J. M., & Rao, N. (2015). The evolution of early childhood education policy in Hong Kong. International Journal of Child Care and...
  • Wu, S.-C., & Rao, N. (2011). Chinese and German teachers’ conceptions of play and learning and children’s play behaviour. European Early...
  • Yang, S., Yang, H., & Lust, B. (2011). Early childhood bilingualism leads to advances in executive attention: dissociating culture and...
  • Yum, J. O. (1988). The impact of Confucianism on interpersonal relationships and communication patterns in East-Asia. Communication Monographs,...
  • Zelazo, P. D., Blair, C. B., & Willoughby, M. T. (2016). Executive function: implications for education. National Center for Educational...
  • Zelazo, P. D., & Carlson, S. M. (2012). Hot and cool executive function in childhood and adolescence: development and plasticity. Child...