3岁幼儿抑制和工作记忆的可分离性研究

尽管成年期个体的执行功能结构被认为是可分离的,然而,学龄前儿童的抑制和工作记忆的可否分离还存在争议。本文使用验证性因子分析研究181名三岁儿童执行功能的主要成分抑制和工作记忆的可分离性。抑制测查采用包礼物任务、糖果延迟任务和昼夜Stroop任务,工作记忆测查采用找贴画任务、Beads任务和数点数任务。通过探索性和验证性因素分析显示:3岁幼儿的测验任务数据更为拟合抑制和工作记忆两因素结构模型, 这说明三岁幼儿的抑制和工作记忆是独立发挥作用的,抑制和工作记忆功能早在学龄前期就已分离, 并且通过测量恒等性检验发现无性别差异。

The Research on the Structure of Executive Function in 3-Year-Old

Whereas the executive function (EF) structure of adults is extensively researched and characterized in a hierarchical mode, it remains unclear for the population of 3-year-old children. The current investigation explored this issue by testing 3-year-old children with various tasks tapping on constructs of EF (i.e., working memory and inhibitory control function). 181 3-year-olds (96 girls and 85 boys, M_age=41.6 months) from two kindergartens in GuangXi province completed all the tasks. The task selection considers the developmental stage of the participants and it requires qualified testing characteristics(e.g., Inhibition task include Delay of Gratification, Delayed Alternation, Day-Night Stroop task; WM task include Counting Span, Beads, Six Boxes task). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed separately on splitted data set. EFA (n₁=90) resulted in a 2-factor model (representing working memory and inhibition function as the latent factors). CFA (n₂=91) further evidenced the better data fit of the 2-factor model than the 1-factor model (where EF was treated as the only latent factor). The results espoused the view that, children, early in their 3 year-old, their working memory and inhibition function start to separate from each other and operate rather independently. And differences between boys and girls over measurement invariance testing have not been found.