Zanini Gislaine A V, Miranda Monica C, Cogo-Moreira Hugo, Nouri Ali, Fernández Alberto L, Pompéia Sabine
Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Programa de Pós Graduação em Psicologia-Psicossomática, Universidade Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil.
Front Psychol. 2021 Mar 30;12:627219. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.627219. eCollection 2021.
The umbrella-term 'executive functions' (EF) includes various domain-general, goal-directed cognitive abilities responsible for behavioral self-regulation. The influential unity and diversity model of EF posits the existence of three correlated yet separable executive domains: inhibition, shifting and updating. These domains may be influenced by factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and culture, possibly due to the way EF tasks are devised and to biased choice of stimuli, focusing on first-world testees. Here, we propose a FREE (Free Research Executive Function Evaluation) test battery that includes two open-access tasks for each of the three abovementioned executive domains to allow latent variables to be obtained. The tasks were selected from those that have been shown to be representative of each domain, that are not copyrighted and do not require special hardware/software to be administered. These tasks were adapted for use in populations with varying SES/schooling levels by simplifying tasks/instructions and using easily recognized stimuli such as pictures. Items are answered verbally and tasks are self-paced to minimize interference from individual differences in psychomotor and perceptual speed, to better isolate executive from other cognitive abilities. We tested these tasks on 146 early adolescents (aged 9-15 years) of both sexes and varying SES, because this is the age group in which the executive domains of interest become distinguishable and in order to confirm that SES effects were minimized. Performance was determined by Rate Correct Scores (correct answers divided by total time taken to complete blocks/trial), which consider speed-accuracy trade-offs. Scores were sensitive to the expected improvement in performance with age and rarely/inconsistently affected by sex and SES, as expected, with no floor or ceiling effects, or skewed distribution, thus suggesting their adequacy for diverse populations in these respects. Using structural equation modeling, evidence based on internal structure was obtained by replicating the three correlated-factor solution proposed by the authors of the model. We conclude that the FREE test battery, which is open access and described in detail, holds promise as a tool for research that can be adapted for a wide range of populations, as well as altered and/or complemented in coming studies.
统称“执行功能”（EF）包括各种领域通用的、目标导向的认知能力，这些能力负责行为自我调节。有影响力的执行功能统一与多样性模型假定存在三个相关但可分离的执行领域：抑制、转换和更新。这些领域可能受到社会经济地位（SES）和文化等因素的影响，这可能是由于执行功能任务的设计方式以及对刺激的偏向选择，而这些主要针对的是来自第一世界的受测者。在此，我们提出了一个免费的（自由研究执行功能评估）测试组合，其中包括针对上述三个执行领域中每个领域的两个开放获取任务，以便能够获得潜在变量。这些任务是从那些已被证明能代表每个领域、无版权且执行时不需要特殊硬件/软件的任务中挑选出来的。通过简化任务/说明并使用图片等易于识别的刺激，这些任务适用于不同社会经济地位/受教育水平的人群。题目通过口头回答，任务由受试者自行控制节奏，以尽量减少心理运动和感知速度个体差异的干扰，从而更好地将执行功能与其他认知能力区分开来。我们对146名年龄在9至15岁、社会经济地位各异的青少年（男女均有）进行了这些任务的测试，因为这个年龄组正是我们感兴趣的执行领域开始变得可区分的阶段，并且为了确认社会经济地位的影响已降至最低。表现由正确率得分（正确答案除以完成各块/试验所用的总时间）来确定，该得分考虑了速度与准确性的权衡。分数对预期的随年龄增长的表现提升很敏感，并且正如预期的那样，很少/不一致地受到性别和社会经济地位的影响，没有地板效应或天花板效应，也没有分布偏态，因此表明它们在这些方面适用于不同人群。使用结构方程模型，通过复制该模型作者提出的三因素相关解决方案，获得了基于内部结构的证据。我们得出结论，这个免费的、详细描述的测试组合有望成为一种研究工具，可适用于广泛人群，并且在未来的研究中可以进行修改和/或补充。
