The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Carroll, Daniel J.; Blakey, Emma; Matthews, Danielle; Cragg, Lucy; Buck, Jessica; Cameron, David; Higgins, Ben; Pepper, Lisa; Ridley, Ellen; Sullivan, Emma

Abstract

© 2020 Society for Research in Child Development The socioeconomic attainment gap in mathematics starts early and increases over time. This study aimed to examine why this gap exists. Four-year-olds from diverse backgrounds were randomly allocated to a brief intervention designed to improve executive functions (N=87) or to an active control group (N=88). The study was preregistered and followed CONSORT guidelines. Executive functions and mathematical skills were measured at baseline, 1week, 3months, 6months, and 1year posttraining. Executive functions mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and mathematical skills. Children improved over training, but this did not transfer to untrained executive functions or mathematics. Executive functions may explain socioeconomic attainment gaps, but cognitive training directly targeting executive functions is not an effective way to narrow this gap.

Citation

Carroll, D. J., Blakey, E., Matthews, D., Cragg, L., Buck, J., Cameron, D., …Sullivan, E. (2020). The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Development, 91(5), 1594-1614. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13358

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 3, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Feb 6, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Deposit Date: Sep 26, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 7, 2021
• Journal: Child Development
• Print ISSN: 0009-3920
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-8624
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 91
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1594-1614
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13358
• Keywords: Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health; Education; Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2662604
• Publisher URL: https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13358
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: lakey, E., Matthews, D., Cragg, L., Buck, J., Cameron, D., Higgins, B., Pepper, L., Ridley, E., Sullivan, E. and Carroll, D.J. (2020), The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Child Dev., which has been published in final form at https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13358. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.