Gender differences in executive function and behavioural self-regulation in 5 years old kindergarteners from East Japan

ABSTRACT

The present study examined gender differences in kindergarten students’ ability for behavioural self-regulation and executive function in East Japan. One hundred and eleven 5-year-old children were assessed on behavioural self-regulation, inhibitory, and working memory tasks (direct measurement). Children's responses to the teacher's instructions were video-recorded and analysed (class room observation). Teachers assessed behaviour problems in the classroom. Results demonstrated that, while there were no significant gender differences in direct measurement or classroom observations, there were gender differences in teachers’ evaluation of social problems, attention problems, and aggressive behaviour, with girls demonstrating lowere levels of problem than boys. These results suggest that teachers’ evaluation of behavioural problem could be biased by gender. Possible reasons for this discrepancy were discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Executive function
• behavioural self-regulation
• gender difference
• Japanese kindergarten students

Acknowledgment

We thank Dr. Megan McClelland in Oregon State University for providing us with the HTKS task.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Noriko Yamamoto is a graduate student in the Graduate School of Education in Hyogo University of Teacher Education. Her research interest is in childhood executive function and behavioural self-regulation.

Kyoko Imai-Matsumura is Dean and a Professor of the Joint Graduate School (Ph.D. Program) in the Science of School Education in Hyogo University of Teacher Education. She has published physiological and psychological works. Her recent interests include executive function, self-regulation, and eye-gaze in childhood.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI [grant number JP16K01866].