Executive functions in infancy: Measurement using a novel tablet task and exploration of longitudinal attentional and cognitive predictors

Executive Functions (EFs) in infancy and childhood are important predictors of later outcomes. The present study used data from a prospective longitudinal study to examine the development and predictors of EF skills among infants during the first 24-months of life. First, we evaluated the use of a tablet-based assessment to measure EFs among infants aged 18- and 24-months. We also examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between attentional disengagement, general cognitive skills and EFs. Participants (N=60, 30 female) completed the EF task at 18- and 24-months of age. Attentional disengagement and general cognitive skills were assessed at 5-, 8-, 12-, 18- and 24-months using an eye-tracking measure (the gap-overlap task) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), respectively. The EF task demonstrated good internal consistency, sensitivity to age-related change in performance and stable individual differences. No associations were found between EF skills and MSEL scores longitudinally or concurrently. The eye-tracking task revealed that slower attentional disengagement at 8-months, but faster disengagement at 18-months, predicted better EF skills at 24-months. These findings indicate that the tablet-based assessment is a potentially useful tool for measuring emergent EFs early in infancy. The multifaceted relationship between attentional disengagement and EFs suggests that the rapid development of the attentional system in infancy results in distinct attentional skills, at different ages, being relevant for EF development. On the other hand, overt behavioural skills early in infancy do not predict EF skills.