Evidence of predictive associations of parent-reported Executive Functions from infancy to preschool age

Using the Early Executive Functions Questionnaire (EEFQ) and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool version (BRIEF-P), we collected longitudinal data from 178 UK children (85% White) with predominantly highly-educated parents at ages 10, 16, 24, 30 and 36 months. EEFQ-Cognitive Executive Function (CEF) and EEFQ-Regulation scores demonstrated moderate stability across a 20-month interval, and predictive validity to 36-month BRIEF-P scores from 10 months. EEFQ-CEF scores were primarily associated with cognitively-focused BRIEF-P scales (Working Memory, Plan/Organize), whereas EEFQ-Regulation scores were predictive of all BRIEF-P scales. Our findings provide evidence for stability in parent-reported EF across the infancy-to-preschool period, insights into dissociable patterns of development in regulatory and cognitive aspects of EF, and characterization of age-related change in early EFs.