Similarities and differences across countries in the development of executive functions in children: A systematic review

Abstract

AbstractA systematic review was conducted to gain a more nuanced understanding of similarities and distinctions across countries in the development of executive functions (EF). The review includes 26 studies, with child and adolescent participants, that were published between 2006 and 2018. Both similarities and differences within developmental patterns of EF are identified across different countries. Across countries, bilingual children are shown to outperform their monolingual peers. Task improvement with age is not consistently reported in all studies, with no linear effects apparent in children from developing countries or regions. Gender differences on EF measures also vary between countries. Girls perform better than boys on EF tasks and parent and teacher ratings of EF in both Western and East Asian samples. Yet, in Iran and Tanzania, boys receive higher EF scores. From preschool age through adolescence, East Asians outperform Western counterparts on direct assessment measures of EF. However, strong discrepancies can be found between measures of direct EF assessment and parent and teacher ratings of children's EF. Chinese parents rate their children's EF as lower compared with parents from other countries. The role of contextual factors explaining differences in EF development is discussed.Highlights This paper presents the first systematic review on the topic of cross‐national variation in children's EF development. A clearly defined conceptual framework regarding EF facets and analysis of a wide age span underpin this review. From preschool age through adolescence, East‐Asian children outperform their Western counterparts on direct assessment measures of EF.