De invloed van gezinsfactoren op de ontwikkeling van executieve functies bij kinderen in de bovenbouw van het basisonderwijs.

Background: The development of executive functions is important for independent, creative, and socially constructive behavior. Despite the genetic predisposition, executive functions are due to the long-term development also influenced by environmental factors. The specific impact of environmental factors remains, however, unclear. This research focuses on the influence of family factors on the development of executive functions in children. Method: The influence of parents’ educational level, siblings and an educational parent training was investigated in a total of 437 children, between the ages of 8 and 12. During a baseline assessment and a follow-up six months later, executive functions were measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). A total of 31 parents where randomly selected to participate in a parent training, where parents learned about the development of executive functions and how they could stimulate this development. Results: Parents’...Show moreBackground: The development of executive functions is important for independent, creative, and socially constructive behavior. Despite the genetic predisposition, executive functions are due to the long-term development also influenced by environmental factors. The specific impact of environmental factors remains, however, unclear. This research focuses on the influence of family factors on the development of executive functions in children. Method: The influence of parents’ educational level, siblings and an educational parent training was investigated in a total of 437 children, between the ages of 8 and 12. During a baseline assessment and a follow-up six months later, executive functions were measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). A total of 31 parents where randomly selected to participate in a parent training, where parents learned about the development of executive functions and how they could stimulate this development. Results: Parents’ educational level had a significant small effect on inhibition and working memory and not on cognitive flexibility. There was no significant difference in scores on the executive functions between children with siblings and children without siblings. Finally, the educational parent training showed no effect on the development of executive functions in children. Conclusion: This investigation contributes to a more complete overview of the impact of environmental factors on the development of executive functions. This is important for the development of early interventions to optimize executive functioning in children. Children of higher educated parents showed less problems on inhibition and working memory. In contrast to the expectations, other family factors had little influence on the development of executive functions in this age group. Other environmental factors, such as school, teachers and peers, may play a greater role. Future research should focus on the influence of these other environmental factors in children from eight years old up to young adulthood.Show less

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De invloed van gezinsfactoren op de ontwikkeling van executieve functies bij kinderen in de bovenbouw van het basisonderwijs.