Leiden University Student Repository

Spruijt, Judith (2012)

De invloed van executief functioneren op de ontwikkeling van taalvaardigheden van jonge kinderen

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

There is an increasing amount of research stressing the importance of executive functions in learning during childhood. This study examined i) the relation between executive functioning (working memory, inhibition problems and dysexecutive behaviour) and the development of receptive and expressive language skills and ii) whether executive functioning predicts the development of language skills. This longitudinal study tested 207 children aged between 4 to 8 years in 2009 (M age =5.28) and again in 2010 (M age =6.42) using a battery of cognitive measures and parent ratings of dysexecutive behaviour of their child. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that working memory was related to both expressive and receptive language, but only predicted the level of receptive language. Inhibition problems were only related to and a predictor of expressive language. Dysexecutive behaviour was not related to language. Implications of the findings for education are discussed.

executive functions

language development

working memory

inhibition problems

dysexecutive behaviour

receptive language skills

expressive language skills

Author

Spruijt, Judith

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

MA Clinical child and adolescents studies

Supervisors

Swaab-Barneveld, J.T.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl