Selective attention relates to the development of executive functions in 2,5-to 3-year-olds: A longitudinal study

To study the central role of selective attention in the early development of executive functions (EFs), longitudinal relationships between selective attention, working memory, and simple response inhibition were explored. Selective attention, working memory, and simple response inhibition were assessed twice in our preschool sample (N = 273), which included a relatively large number of children from low SES families. The tasks were administered between age 2.5 (time 1) and 3 years (time 2). An analytical path model was tested to analyse the relationships simultaneously. The results indicate that selective attention at age 2.5 years predicts working memory and response inhibition at age 3 years. Controlling for gender, SES, home language, verbal ability, and age did not affect the strengths of these relationships.