Self-Regulation in Preschool: Are Executive Function and Effortful Control Overlapping Constructs?

The concepts of executive function (EF) and effortful control (EC) are strikingly similar. EF originates from neurocognitive research and is described as an accumulation of cognitive processes that serve the goal-oriented self-regulation of an individual. EC originates from temperament research and is defined as the efficiency of executive attention, including the ability to inhibit a dominant response, activate a subdominant response, proceed in a planned manner, and recognize conflicts or errors.

Validation of new tablet-based problem-solving tasks in primary school students.

Problem-solving is an important skill that is associated with reasoning abilities, action control and academic success. Nevertheless, empirical evidence on cognitive correlates of problem-solving performance in childhood is limited. Appropriate assessment tools are scarce and existing analog tasks require extensive coding.

The factorial structure of executive functions in preschool and elementary school children and relations with intelligence.

The timing of structural changes in executive functions (EFs) across development is a matter of controversy; whereas some studies suggest a uniform structure of EFs in early childhood, findings in middle and late childhood are mixed. There are results indicating uniformity of EFs as well as several studies suggesting multidimensionality of the construct. In addition, studies demonstrate an age-related differentiation of the relation between EFs and intelligence.

Executive functions and problem-solving-The contribution of inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility to science problem-solving performance in elementary school students.

Previous research has shown that executive functions can contribute to successful problem-solving in preschool and elementary school children. However, most studies did not simultaneously assess the role of different specific aspects of executive functions. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the individual contribution of inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility to science problem-solving performance in elementary school children.