Executive functions (EF) are higher-order cognitive processes present in the prefrontal cortex and are fundamental in planning, executing and monitoring goal-oriented behaviours. Evaluating EF in early stages of child development is essential for identifying any cognitive alterations in young children, given that it allows for early intervention and minimizes future complications. Additionally, it contributes to a better understanding of this construct in this age bracket, as well as its operational model. Study of EF has recently been the focus of multiple researchers; however, there is still a serious lack of instruments and measurements validated towards children's age bracket. This systematic review's main goal is to evaluate instruments and/or tasks that serve to evaluate and analyse EF and/or their components between the ages of 36 and 72 months. Forty-nine studies were analysed, containing multiple tasks and tools oriented towards EF and their constituent components. Results indicate the existence of various tasks that grade the different components independently from one another; nevertheless, they also confirm the lack of any global measurement instrument or method. Therefore, this systematic review presents itself as an important contribution in the study of EF, stressing not only the importance of further investing into constructing and validating new and better tools for evaluating the construct but also the study of operating models of executive functioning, especially in an age bracket where comprehending it is notoriously difficult.

中文翻译：

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学龄前执行功能的评估：系统评价

执行功能 (EF) 是存在于前额叶皮层的高级认知过程，是计划、执行和监控目标导向行为的基础。在儿童发育的早期阶段评估 EF 对于识别幼儿的任何认知改变至关重要，因为它允许早期干预并最大限度地减少未来的并发症。此外，它有助于更​​好地理解这个年龄段的这种结构及其运作模式。EF的研究最近成为多个研究人员关注的焦点；然而，仍然严重缺乏针对儿童年龄段进行验证的仪器和测量方法。本系统评价' 我们的主要目标是评估用于评估和分析 36 至 72 个月之间 EF 和/或其组件的仪器和/或任务。分析了 49 项研究，其中包含面向 EF 及其组成部分的多项任务和工具。结果表明存在各种任务，它们相互独立地对不同组件进行评分；然而，它们也证实了缺乏任何全球测量仪器或方法。因此，本系统评价本身是对 EF 研究的重要贡献，不仅强调了进一步投资于构建和验证用于评估结构的新的和更好的工具的重要性，而且还强调了执行功能操作模型的研究，特别是在一个众所周知的难以理解的年龄段。