Executive Function Mediates the Association Between Toddler Negative Affectivity and Early Academic Achievement

Abstract

Research Findings We examined the nature of association between toddler negative affectivity (NA) and later academic achievement by testing early childhood executive function (EF) as a mediator that links children’s temperament and their performance on standardized math and reading assessments. One hundred eighty-four children (93 boys, 91 girls) participated in our longitudinal study. Children’s NA was measured at age 2 and EF at age 4. At age 6, academic achievement in reading and mathematics were assessed using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). Results indicated that NA at age 2 negatively predicted EF at age 4, which positively predicted mathematics achievement and reading achievement at age 6. Age 4 EF mediated the relation between age 2 NA and age 6 academic achievement on both reading and math. These findings highlight the significance of considering both NA and EF in conversations about children’s academic achievement. Practice or Policy For children with temperamentally high NA, focusing on efforts to enhance emotion regulation and EF during the preschool years may benefit their later mathematics and reading achievement.

Does early child negative emotionality moderate the association between maternal stimulation and academic readiness and achievement?

“…While it was not the case for receptive vocabulary and reading achievement measures, with which maternal stimulation level was positively associated independently from infant negative emotionality. These results are in line with discrepancies shown in previous results that have reported inconsistent associations between infant negative emotionality and child vocabulary and reading achievements (Gartstein et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2018; Molfese et al., 2010; Valiente et al., 2010). Similarly, these results are consistent with a study in which infant negative emotionality has been associated with mathematics achievement, although the mechanisms underlying this association are not yet completely understood (Valiente et al., 2010).…”

“…Similarly, these results are consistent with a study in which infant negative emotionality has been associated with mathematics achievement, although the mechanisms underlying this association are not yet completely understood (Valiente et al., 2010). As negative emotionality has been negatively associated with executive functions (Liu et al., 2018), it is possible that child negative emotionality overwhelms higher cognitive processes required for mathematics achievements (e.g., recollection, cognitive flexibility, problem‐solving) (Blair, 2002; Blankenship et al., 2015). Results are also consistent with studies in which maternal stimulation has been positively associated with both letter‐related (Rodriguez & Tamis‐LeMonda, 2011; Vallotton et al., 2017) and mathematics‐related achievements (Casey et al., 2018; Lombardi et al., 2017).…”

Independent and interactive associations of temperament dimensions with educational outcomes in young adolescents

“…However, fear 6 is usually combined with frustration (within the frame of negative affectivity) or anxiety, which decreases the evidence regarding the specific association of this temperament with educational outcomes. As a combination, negative affect decreases school achievement in young toddlers (Liu et al, 2018) and school functioning in adolescents (Snyder et al, 2015). In this age, negative affect also mediates parenting style and academic performance, but this effect is not significant if EC is taken into account, which highlights the importance of adjusted models by multiple temperament dimensions (Checa & Abundis-Gutierrez, 2017).…”

Temperament and Academic Achievement in Children: A Meta-Analysis

“…However, there were contradictory findings too. For instance, no relationship was found between EC and reading or mathematical achievements among preschoolers [ 37 ]. The direction of interface between NA and academic achievement was also found to be sensitive to multiple aspects.…”