Rory T. Devine|Giacomo Bignardi|Claire Hughes
Executive Function Mediates the Relations between Parental Behaviors and Children's Early Academic Ability
University of Cambridge|University of Cambridge|University of Cambridge
past decade witnessed growth interest parental influences individual differences childrens executive function ef one hand academic consequences variation childrens ef hand primary aim longitudinal study examine whether childrens ef mediated relation three distinct aspects parental behavior ie parental scaffolding negative parentchild interactions provision informal learning opportunities childrens academic ability measured standard tests literacy numeracy skills data collected 117 parentchild dyads 60 boys two time points approximately 1 year apart age time 1 394 years sd 053 age time 2 511 years sd 054 time points children completed battery tasks designed measure general cognitive ability eg nonverbal reasoning ef eg inhibition cognitive flexibility working memory models revealed childrens ef general cognitive ability mediated relations parental scaffolding negative parentchild interactions childrens early academic ability contrast parental provision opportunities learning home environment directly related childrens academic abilities results suggest parental scaffolding negative parentchild interactions influence childrens academic ability shaping childrens emerging ef