Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Do Patterns of Levels of Socio-emotional Competence During Early Childhood Predict Executive Function at 4.5 Years?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Socio-emotional competence and executive function both work together to meet the demands of the everyday environment. While many studies have focused on how various domains of socio-emotional competence are predicted by, or associated with executive function, the predictive influence of socio-emotional competence on executive function has largely been ignored despite strong theoretical links. In addition, contradictory information exists with regard to the divergent validity of two subtypes of executive function: cool and hot. Using data from 4839 children participating in three data collection waves (9 months, 2 years and 4.5 year) in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study, we examined how different patterns of socio-emotional competence development during the early preschool years (persistent lows, recent low, improved and no lows) related to cool and hot executive function measured at aged 4.5 using a hand clap task and a gift wrap task, respectively. Findings showed that children with persistent lows (with no improvement) in the levels of early socio-emotional competence had increased odds of having below average cool and hot executive function at 4.5 years. However, no difference was found in the influence of socio-emotional competence on cool and hot executive function. Possible explanations for these associations between socio-emotional competence and executive function are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ahmad S, Peterson ER, Waldie KE, Morton S (2019) Development of an index of socio-emotional competence for preschool children in the growing up in New Zealand Study. Front Edu 4:777. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Beck DM, Carlson SM (2007, June) Symbolic transfer in the “less is more” measure of executive function. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Amsterdam, Netherlands

  3. Brock LL, Rimm-Kaufman SE, Nathanson L, Grimm KJ (2009) The contributions of “hot” and “cool” executive function to children’s academic achievement, learning-related behaviors, and engagement in kindergarten. Early Child Res Q 24:337–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Carlson SM (2005) Developmentally sensitive measures of executive function in preschool children. Dev Neuropsychol 28(2):595–616

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Carlson SM (2009) Social origins of executive function development. N Dir Child Adolesc Dev 123:87–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Carlson SM, Davis AC, Leach JG (2005) Less is more: Executive function and symbolic representation in preschool children. Psychol Sci 16(8):609–616

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Casey BJ, Somerville LH, Gotlib IH, Ayduk O, Franklin NT, Askren MK et al (2011) Behavioral and neural correlates of delay of gratification 40 years later. PNAS 108(36):14998–15003

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Chan RCK, Shum D, Toulopoulou T, Chen EYH (2008) Assessment of executive functions: review of instruments and identification of critical issues. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 23:2011–2016

    Google Scholar 

  9. Cohen J (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences, 2nd edn. LErbaum, Mahwah

    Google Scholar 

  10. D’Souza S, Underwood L, Peterson ER, Morton SM, Waldie KE (2020) The association between persistence and change in early childhood behavioural problems and preschool cognitive outcomes. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 51:416–426

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Denham SA (2006) Social-emotional competence as support for school readiness: what is it and how do we assess it? Early Education and Development 17(1):57–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Diamond A, Taylor C (1996) Development of an aspect of executive control: development of the abilities to remember what I said and to “Do as I say, not as I do.” Dev Psychobiol 29(4):315–334

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Duckworth AI, Seligman MEP (2005) Self- discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychol Sci 16(12):939–944

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Eigsti I-M, Zayas V, Mischel W, Shoda Y, Ayduk O, Dadlani MB et al (2006) Predicting cognitive control from preschool to late adolescence and young adulthood. Psychol Sci 17(6):478–484

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Garon N, Byrson SE, Smith IM (2008) Executive Function in Preschoolers: a review using an integrative framework. Psychol Bull 134(1):31–60

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gilotty L, Kenworthy L, Sirian L, Black DO, Wagner AE (2002) Adaptive skills and executive function in autism spectrum disorders. Child Neuropsychol 8:241–248

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Glaser D (2000) Child abuse and neglect and the brain: a review. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 41:97–116

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Grafman J, Litvan I (1999) Importance of deficit in executive functions. The Lancet 354:1921–1923. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(99)90438-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Golden CJ, Hammeke TA, Purisch AD (1979) The Standardized Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery: a manual for clinical and experimental use. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  20. Graziano PA, Reavis RD, Keane SP, Calkins SD (2007) The role of emotion regulation in children’s early academic success. J School Psychol 45:3–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Hammond SI, Müller U, Carpendale JI, Bibok MB, Liebermann-Finestone DP (2012) The effects of parental scaffolding on preschoolers’ executive function. Dev Psychol 48(1):278–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Hobson CW, Scott S, Rubia K (2011) Investigation of cool and hot executive function in ODD/CD independently of ADHD. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 52(10):1035–1104

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Hongwanishkulh D, Happane KR, Lee WSC, Zelazo PD (2005) Assessment of hot and cool executive function in young children: age-related changes and individual differences. Dev Neuropsychol 28(2):617–644

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Howse R, Calkins S, Anastopoulos A, Keane S, Shelton T (2003) Regulatory contributors to children’s academic achievement. Early Educ Dev 14(1):101–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hughes C (1998) Executive function in preschoolers: links with theory of mind and verbal ability. Br J Dev Psychol 16:233–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Huttenlocher PR (2002) Neural plasticity: The effects of environment on the development of the cerebral cortex. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  27. Kiley-Brabeck K, Sobin C (2006) Social skills and executive function deficits in children with the 22q11 deletion syndrome. Appl Neuropsychol 13:258–268

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Kim S, Nordling JK, Yoon JE, Boldt LJ, Kochanska G (2013) Effortful control in “hot” and “cool” tasks differentially predicts children’s behaviour problems and academic performance. J Abnormal Child Psychol 4(1):43–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Kochanska G, Murray KT, Harlan ET (2000) Effortful control in early childhood: continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development. Dev Psychol 36:220–232

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Landry SH, Smith KE, Swank PR, Miller-Loncar CL (2000) Early maternal and child influences on children’s later independent cognitive and social functioning. Child Dev 71:358–375

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. McEvoy RE, Rogers SJ, Pennington BF (1993) Executive function and social communication deficits in young autistic children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Discipl 34:563–578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Metcalf J, Mischel W (1999) A hot/cool-system analysis of delay of gratification: Dynamics of Willpower. Psychol Rev 106(1):3–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Mischel W, Shoda Y, & Peake PK (1988) The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of gratification. Journal of personality and social psychology 54(4):687

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Miyake A, Friedman N, Emerson M, Witzki A, Howerter A, Wager TD (2000) The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: a latent variable analysis. Cogn Psychol 41:49–100

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Morton SMB, Ramke J, Kinloch J, Grant CC, Atatoa-Carr P, Leeson H et al (2015) Growing up in New Zealand cohort alignment with all New Zealand births. Aust N Zeal J Public Health 39(1):82–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Morton SM, Grant CC, Berry SD, Walker C, Corkin M, Ly K (2017) Growing Up in New Zealand: A longitudinal study of New Zealand children and their families now we are four: Describing the preschool years. Growing Up in New Zealand. https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/growingup/research-findings-impact/GUiNZ_Now%20we%20are%20four%20report.pdf. Cited 20 November 2019

  37. Nater UM, Moor C, Okere U, Stallkamp R, Martin M, Ehlert U et al (2007) Performance on a declarative memory task is better in high than low cortisol responders to psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 32(6):758–763

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Pauli-Pott U, Dalir S, Mingebach T, Roller A, Becker K (2013) Do different ADHD-related etiological risks involve specific neuropsychological pathways? An analysis of mediation processes by inhibitory control and delay aversion. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 54(7):800–809

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Peterson E, Welch MC (2014) The development of hot and cool executive functions in childhood and adolescence: are we getting warmer? In: Goldstein S, Naglieri JA (eds) Handbook of executive functioning. Springer Science + Business Media, Berlin, pp 45–65

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  40. Prencipe A, Kesek A, Cohen J, Lamm C, Lewis MD, Zelazo PD (2011) Development of hot and cool executive function during the transition to adolescence. J Exp Child Psychol 108:621–637

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Raver CC, Carter JS, McCoy DC, Roy A, Ursache A, Friedman A (2012) Testing models of children’s self-regulation within educational contexts: implications for measurement. Adv Child Dev Behav 42:245–270

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Sameroff AJ (ed) (2009) The transactional model of development: how children and contexts shape each other. American Psychological Association, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  43. Salmond C, Crampton P, Atkinson J (2007) NZDep2006 index of deprivation. Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington

    Google Scholar 

  44. Shamosh NA, Gray JR (2008) Delay discounting and intelligence: a meta-analysis. Intelligence 36(4):289–305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Sroufe LA (1996) Emotional development: The organization of emotional life in the early years. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  46. Vygotsky LS (1978) Mind in society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  47. Zelazo PD, Muller U (2002) Executive function in typical and atypical development. In: Goswami U (ed) Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development. Blackwell, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, City Campus Symonds Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand

    Sahrish Ahmad, Karen E. Waldie & Elizabeth R. Peterson

  2. Growing Up in New Zealand, Centre for Longitudinal Research – He Ara ki Mua, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Karen E. Waldie, Susan M. B. Morton & Elizabeth R. Peterson

Authors
  1. Sahrish Ahmad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karen E. Waldie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Susan M. B. Morton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elizabeth R. Peterson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sahrish Ahmad.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

(DOCX 34 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ahmad, S., Waldie, K.E., Morton, S.M.B. et al. Do Patterns of Levels of Socio-emotional Competence During Early Childhood Predict Executive Function at 4.5 Years?. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 53, 448–457 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01128-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01128-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation