Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 49707, USA.
Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 49707, USA.
J Exp Child Psychol. 2019 Apr;180:55-68. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.12.005. Epub 2019 Jan 9.
The primary aim of the current study was to identify the predictive relations of both vocabulary and mathematical language to executive functioning (EF) development using a sample of 558 preschool children (M = 57.75 months, SD = 3.71). Monthly family income ranged from $0 to $5539 (M = $1508.18, SD = $892.92). Among the sample, 44% of the children were African American, 32% were Caucasian, 12% were Hispanic, 11% were multiracial, and 1% were Asian. Although the primary study goal was to examine the extent to which language predicted EF development, a secondary aim was to explore whether EF also predicted vocabulary and mathematical language development. Regression analyses accounting for classroom-level variance and key covariates revealed that vocabulary was a significant predictor of EF at the end of preschool after accounting for fall EF. When mathematical language was added into the models, it was a significant predictor of EF, but vocabulary was no longer significant. Furthermore, EF predicted vocabulary and mathematical language. These findings suggest that young children's mathematical language skills are related to the acquisition of higher levels of EF during the preschool year and that there may be bidirectional associations between EF and mathematical language in preschool. Implications for future research are discussed.
本研究的主要目的是使用 558 名学龄前儿童（M=57.75 个月，SD=3.71）的样本，确定词汇和数学语言对执行功能（EF）发展的预测关系。家庭月收入从 0 美元到 5539 美元不等（M=1508.18 美元，SD=892.92 美元）。在样本中，44%的儿童为非裔美国人，32%为白种人，12%为西班牙裔，11%为多种族，1%为亚洲人。尽管主要研究目标是考察语言在多大程度上预测 EF 发展，但次要目标是探索 EF 是否也预测词汇和数学语言发展。回归分析考虑了课堂水平的差异和关键协变量，结果表明，词汇是学龄前后期 EF 的一个显著预测因素，这一结果在考虑到秋季 EF 后仍然成立。当将数学语言纳入模型时，它是 EF 的一个显著预测因素，但词汇不再显著。此外，EF 还预测了词汇和数学语言。这些发现表明，幼儿的数学语言技能与学龄前阶段更高水平的 EF 习得有关，并且在学龄前阶段 EF 和数学语言之间可能存在双向关联。文章还讨论了对未来研究的启示。
