Domain-specific effects of attentional and behavioral control in early literacy and numeracy development

Abstract

In a longitudinal study, we investigated the direct and indirect contributions of two aspects of executive functioning - attentional and behavioral control - to the development of early literacy and numeracy in kindergarten and first grade. Ninety children (mean age = 6.0 years at Time 1) were assessed on multiple direct measures of executive functioning, as well as phonological awareness and number sense in kindergarten, and word reading and mathematics in first grade. Structural equation models showed that both attentional and behavioral control predicted phonological awareness and number sense. Attentional control had an indirect (via phonological awareness) effect on word reading only, while behavioral control had a direct effect on mathematics and an indirect effect (via phonological awareness) on word reading. Since attentional and behavioral control differentially relate to the emergence of literacy and numeracy, it is concluded that executive functioning has domain-specific effects on children's development.