Fogel Yael, Cohen Elimelech Ortal, Josman Naomi
Department of Occupational Therapy, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel.
Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 34980, Israel.
Children (Basel). 2025 May 13;12(5):626. doi: 10.3390/children12050626.
Executive function-the cognitive processes and abilities used to perform daily activities and solve real-world problems-is crucial for children's development. However, existing assessments often lack ecological validity, limiting their ability to reflect real-world cognitive performance. This study aims to validate the Preschool Executive Task Assessment (PETA) as a performance-based ecological measure of executive functions in typically developing Israeli children.
Thirty-six typically developing children participated. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and the Child Evaluation Checklist, while children undertook two Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised 95 subtests. Eligible participants completed three performance-based assessments: PETA, the Children's Kitchen Task Assessment (CKTA), and the Do-Eat. Inter-rater reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and concurrent validity was assessed via correlations with the CKTA and Do-Eat scores. The Benjamini-Hochberg correction method was used to control false-positive findings.
Age showed weak-to-moderate correlations with key performance measures, including total score, completion time, and required cues (-0.48 < r < -0.37, < 0.05), indicating improved PETA performance with age. Inter-rater reliability for the PETA was high (ICC = 0.84). Significant correlations were found between the PETA completion time and CKTA total score (r = 0.42, = 0.014), and between working memory and the CKTA total score (r = -0.44, = 0.008). Additionally, significant correlations were found between the PETA and the Do-Eat (-0.69 < r < 0.55).
Although further research is needed to refine its use across diverse populations and settings with larger samples, these preliminary findings support the PETA's reliability and validity as a performance-based executive function assessment in young children. This study advances ecologically valid assessments and aids clinicians in selecting appropriate tools for evaluating executive functions in early childhood.
执行功能——用于进行日常活动和解决现实世界问题的认知过程和能力——对儿童的发展至关重要。然而，现有的评估往往缺乏生态效度，限制了它们反映现实世界认知表现的能力。本研究旨在验证学前执行任务评估（PETA）作为以色列发育正常儿童执行功能的基于表现的生态测量方法的有效性。
36名发育正常的儿童参与了研究。家长完成了一份人口统计学问卷和儿童评估清单，而儿童进行了两项韦氏儿童智力量表修订版95分测验。符合条件的参与者完成了三项基于表现的评估：PETA、儿童厨房任务评估（CKTA）和“做-吃”任务。使用组内相关系数（ICC）检查评分者间信度，并通过与CKTA和“做-吃”任务得分的相关性评估同时效度。采用Benjamini-Hochberg校正方法控制假阳性结果。
年龄与关键表现指标（包括总分、完成时间和所需提示）呈弱至中度相关（-0.48 < r < -0.37，P < 0.05），表明随着年龄增长PETA表现有所改善。PETA的评分者间信度较高（ICC = 0.84）。发现PETA完成时间与CKTA总分之间存在显著相关性（r = 0.42，P = 0.014），工作记忆与CKTA总分之间也存在显著相关性（r = -0.44，P = 0.008）。此外，还发现PETA与“做-吃”任务之间存在显著相关性（-0.69 < r < 0.55）。
尽管需要进一步研究以在更大样本的不同人群和环境中完善其应用，但这些初步结果支持PETA作为幼儿基于表现的执行功能评估的可靠性和有效性。本研究推进了生态效度评估，并有助于临床医生选择合适的工具来评估幼儿的执行功能。
Zotero 插件
