Assessment of the multidimensionality of executive functions in children: factors and dimensions affecting learning and performance

MUSSO, M. F.; CASCALLAR, E. C.

Malta

Conferencia; AEA-Europe 10th Annual Conference; 2009

Association for Educational Assessment- Europe

Several studies have assessed executive functions through the various developmental stages to understand its impact in learning and performance. Nevertheless its measurement, mainly in children, still requires reliable and valid assessment methodologies. The generalization from marks in an academic test to competitive situations or games in the real world represents a methodological challenge (Marlowe, 2001). Executive functioning has been showed to be a multidimensional construct by a large body of literature (Tirapu- Ustárroz, Muñoz- Céspedes, Pelegrín- Valero, 2002; Baron, 2004; Welsh et al., 1991; Denckla, 1996; Fletcher, 1996; Harris et. al., 1995). Specific components such as interference control, working memory, executive attention, and other basic mechanisms or processes should be considered for the correct assessment of executive functions in children. This research represents an effort to better understand the control of interference measured by a conflict task named “Simon Says”, a game-like instrument developed by Lavoie et al. (1981). This study was aimed at analyzing and understanding the latent structure and dimensions which are underpinning the performance in this task. The sample consisted of 253 children between 6 and 12 years of age (M= 6; SD= 1.099), attending the first year of primary education in a low SES level area. Exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) were used to understand the structure and dimensionality of the task and the implicit executive functioning performance. EFA found two factors in this task (“Simon Says”), within each of two complexity conditions:  one was an “activation factor” that collected all the items prefaced with the words “Simon Says…” (requiring the execution of an action), and the other factor could be named “executive control factor” that involves the items without those words (requiring inhibition of the action).  These factors explain a highly significant 51% and 46% of the variance in each condition, respectively. MDS indicated a very good fit (Stress = 04747;  RSQ =  .99354), and two dimensions that refer to different aspects of the performance on this task. The first dimension situated the items with regard to the two types of response-control (action vs. inhibition). The second dimension found is related to “level of the difficulty” of the items. The results will be discussed integrating perspectives on executive functions, assessment, and the cognitive implications. In addition, a specific intervention program based on the results from this research, and developed for teacher training will be presented, and its results discussed.