Executive Function, Chaos and Temperament: Specificities in Preschoolers with Externalizing Behaviors.

Alexandra Volckaert,Marie-Pascale Noël

doi:10.5334/pb.352

Abstract

Various factors may contribute to the emergence of externalizing behavior (EB) problems in the preschool period. At the child level, temperament and executive function (EF) seem to play an important role, as well as environmental variables such as household chaos. In this study, we examined the profiles of 49 EB preschoolers compared to 49 typically developing (TD) preschoolers matched on age and gender. To evaluate the behavioral aspect of EB, we asked teachers and parents to fill out questionnaires, but we also used an observational paradigm. We assessed executive functions using attention, inhibition, flexibility and working memory tests. Finally, we used questionnaires to assess household chaos and child temperament. Results showed that children rated by parents as presenting EB were also assessed so by teachers and exhibited more agitation in our observational paradigm. As expected, EB children also presented weaker performance than the TD children in all EF tasks, except those measuring attention, and showed a larger reaction-time variability. Parents of the EB group reported a more chaotic environment at home. Finally, we found that child temperament (i.e., emotionality) also plays a role in group belonging. This study shows that EB children already exhibit specific characteristics by the time they are of preschool age, not only in the behavioral sphere, but also in the cognitive and environmental areas. However, despite all the differences between the two groups, a discriminant analysis showed that EF capacities have a weak power for EB diagnosis.

Highlights

Volckaert and Noël: Specificities in externalizing behavior (EB) Preschoolers that their child is difficult at home and that it is hard for them to manage these disruptive behaviors
Studies which investigate many of the aspects of life which are affected by EB in this population of EB preschoolers are rare
We wanted to observe the profile of EB preschoolers, taking into account the behavioral, cognitive and environmental spheres

Summary

Introduction

Volckaert and Noël: Specificities in EB Preschoolers that their child is difficult at home and that it is hard for them to manage these disruptive behaviors. In the first, Pauli-Pott and Becker (2011) reviewed 25 studies testing the association between EF performance and the presence of ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention) in preschoolers They showed a high correlation between ADHD symptoms and attention-vigilance measures (r = .27), interference control (r = .26, e.g., Stroop test) and inhibition (r = .29, e.g., in a Go-NoGo task), but the correlation was weak with flexibility and working memory measures. In the second meta-analysis, Schoemaker, Mulder, Deković, and Matthys (2013) focused on studies in preschoolers showing symptoms of ADHD and of those with oppositional defiant disorders They found that EB was related to an overall EF factor (r = .22) and to inhibition (r = .24), whereas effect size was smaller for working memory (r = .17) and flexibility (r = .13). The causal link between poor EF and EB has been sustained by a training study showing that enhancing EF in preschoolers reduced their EB (Volckaert & Noël, 2015)

Methods

Results

Conclusion