PREF · PRESCHOOL EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS ACROSS CULTURAL CONTEXTS
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2014-08-01 → 2016-07-31
- EU contribution
- €299,558
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-IEF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
PRESCHOOL EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS ACROSS CULTURAL CONTEXTS
Executive functioning (EF) refers to a set of cognitive skills (working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) that control self-regulation functions. These organize and direct all cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behavior. These skills are crucial for the day-to-day functioning of children and play a fundamental role in their cognitive and socio-emotional functioning. Difficulties with EF are also central to the profiles of developmental disorders like ADHD and Autism. Happily, EF skills can be improved with intervention. This means that understanding the structure and processes underlying EF development in various cultural settings may contribute to diagnosis, and understanding of the mechanisms that underlie developmental disorders, as well as to developing interventions. Despite the importance of EF little is known about EF development among children in different cultural contexts. The aims of the current study are two-fold. Study 1: (a) to validate the EF constructs in three cultural settings (the UK, Kenya and Indonesia); (b) to improve the way in which we measure EF. Validity refers to how much an assessment is relevant to and representative of what it aims to measure. Study 2: To describe the structure of EF and to identify which biological and social factors affect EF skills. Study 1: we carried out to set of activities to check whether our EF measures worked across cultures. We used a variety of methods, including literature review, in-depth interviews with parents, observation and direct testing of children. During this phase we were able to identify, adapt and translate measures for evaluating EF among preschoolers across different cultural context. Data analysis and manuscript preparation from the qualitative dataset are ongoing. Study 2: We have collected data from 180 children on EF functioning, IQ, parental SES, parenting behavior, and nutritional status among children from Kenya, UK and Indonesia. The current project will provide more deep knowledge on specific cognitive functions across cultural contexts.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Executive functioning (EF) refers to a set of cognitive skills (working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) that control self-regulatory functions which organize and direct all cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behavior. EF regulatory control plays a fundamental role in the intellectual and socio-emotional functioning of children. The current study aims at evaluating the cultural invariance of EF structure in three cultural settings and investigating the relative contribution of socio-cultural factors (home environment, parenting styles and SES) and biomedical factors (i.e. birth weights, stress levels and nutritional status) in shaping these abilities. This project has two studies. Study one aims at validating both the EF construct and measures of EF in three cultural contexts (UK, Indonesia and Kenya). A systematic culturally decentered approach is taken during tool development to ensure cross-cultural validity. Tool development follows a three staged approach which combines extensive ethnographic work with standard psychometric procedures. Study two examines the factors that are associated with EF abilities in the three countries. In each of the countries, 100 children aged 48-60 months will be tested, using the instruments developed/adapted in the first study. Advanced statistical analysis including multigroup path analytic procedures will be used to describe factors that influence executive functioning at preschool. The cross-cultural variation is vital for estimating the environmental influence of EF development. The project has both theoretical and practical implications. Describing the structure of EF and factors that influence their development should contribute to refinement of theories, diagnosis of executive deficits and identifying salient points of intervention.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER · LANCASTERCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union