Parent-report and performance-based measures of executive function assess different constructs

Abstract

A total of 405 children of 5–18 years of age were administered performance-based and parent-report measures of executive function (EF), and measures of motor, attention, reading, and mathematics performance. Attention, reading, and mathematics abilities were associated with a parent-report measure of EF. Reading and mathematics abilities were also associated with performance-based measures of EF, including the Animal Sorting, Inhibition, and Response Set subtests of the Developmental NEuroPSYchological Assessment-II. In contrast, motor functioning was only associated with performance-based measures of EF. Findings suggest that different constructs of EF are measured by parent-report versus performance-based measures, and that these different constructs of EF are associated with different neurodevelopmental processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Executive function
• Reading
• Mathematics
• Attention
• Motor skills

The authors thank Ms Nadia Barnieh, Ms Ashley Marsh and Ms Sally Powis-Campbell for their assistance. We also thank the children and their families who gave so freely of their time to participate in this study.

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by on operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [grant number MOP-88588] and a University of Calgary Eyes High Postdoctoral Fellowship