Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 2011 Norming of the Executive Control Battery in Children John Thornton Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Thornton, J. (2011). Norming of the Executive Control Battery in Children (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1282 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NORMING OF THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL BATTERY IN CHILDREN A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Education Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By John J. Thornton, M.A., M.S.Ed. May 2011 Copyright by John Jay Thornton 2011 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) School Psychology Doctoral Program Presented by: John Jay Thornton B.A. Psychology & Communications Studies, Duquesne University M.A. Psychology, Duquesne University M.S.Ed. Child Psychology, Duquesne University March 2, 2011 NORMING OF THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL BATTERY IN CHILDREN Approved by: ________________________________________, Chair Jeffrey A. Miller Ph.D., ABPP Professor/Associate Dean Graduate Studies and Research Duquesne University _______________________________________, Member Sharon Arffa, Ph.D. Pediatric Neuropsychologist _______________________________________, Member Ara J. Schmitt, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Duquesne University iii ABSTRACT NORMING OF THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL BATTERY IN CHILDREN By John J. Thornton May 2011 Dissertation supervised by Jeffrey A. Miller, Ph.D, ABBP Executive functions include the ability of inhibiting responses, goal formation, planning, carrying out goal-directed plans, and effective performance (Jurado & Roselli, 2007). This study presents the findings of statistical analyses that were conducted to examine this study‟s five research questions related to the Executive Control Battery (ECB; Goldberg, Bilder, Jaeger, & Podell, 2000). The ECB is a neuropsychological battery designed to assess executive deficits based on theoretical approaches developed by Alexander Luria and Elkhonon Goldberg. The primary objective of the research study is to examine normative data of the ECB and its four respective subtests in children. This was accomplished by determining adequate variance on the four ECB subtests and examining descriptive statistics. Reliability data was examined through both internal consistency and inter-rater reliability analyses. Finally, convergent and divergent validity iv was explored as ECB subtests were compared to other measures of EF (Stroop, WCST) as well as non-EF measures (WISC-III, WRAT-R) via multiple regression analysis. Results indicate that the ECB demonstrates adequate variance when administered to a sample of children. The ECB was found to be a reliable measure, as internal consistency was adequate on the four subsets and agreement among raters was established on the Graphical Sequences test. Convergent validity analysis, via multiple regression, indicated that Stroop Color Word Standard Score significantly explained Graphical Sequence Errors, and WCST Perseverative Errors Scaled moderately explained Motor Sequences Errors. Predictive validity did not produce a significant relationship between the ECB subtests and IQ. However, the Motor Sequences test was found to significantly predict WRAT-R Arithmetic performance. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research were discussed. v DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my family. This process has taken a significant amount of time as my family has continued to grow. I hope that my children will learn through this process the importance of setting and achieving goals, the pursuit of education, and the possibilities that arise from hard work. I would also like to thank my wife, Bethany, who was more supportive than she believes. She has given me countless evenings and weekend afternoons to continue my work when she herself could have used help. Without her continued support, this would not have been possible. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee for the patience and guidance throughout the years. To my chair and academic advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Miller, thank you for your support and persistence. You have been the motivator that has kept me working and on target. I would like to thank Dr. Sharon Arffa for the use of her database and the countless hours that she made herself available to score and work with the subject data. Through a random phone call to find a practicum site, you kindly provided me with the opportunity to complete this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Ara Schmitt for his thoughtful and insightful comments and his ability to jump in and offer guidance. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... IV DEDICATION................................................................................................................. VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................VII LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................XII LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... XIV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 Significance of the Problem .....................................................................................1 What are Executive Functions? ...............................................................................2 How does EF develop? ............................................................................................3 Inhibition ..................................................................................................................3 EF and IQ .................................................................................................................5 Assessment Issues of EF ..........................................................................................6 Problem Statement: Need for a Developmentally Appropriate Battery ..................6 Executive Control Battery........................................................................................9 Research Questions and Hypothesis ......................................................................11 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................12 What Are Executive Functions? ............................................................................12 Executive Function Behaviors ...............................................................................13 Inhibition ....................................................................................................14 Initiation and Maintenance of Set ..............................................................16 Mental Flexibility and Abstract Reasoning ...............................................17 Self-Regulation ..........................................................................................18 Attention ....................................................................................................20 viii Working Memory.......................................................................................20 Executive Function Theorists ................................................................................21 Models of the Executive System............................................................................23 Behavioral Inhibition Models ....................................................................24 Delay Aversion Models .............................................................................24 Multiple Executive Deficits Models ..........................................................24 Working Memory Models..........................................................................25 Supervisory Attention Model .....................................................................25 Grafman‟s Model .......................................................................................27 Anderson‟s Model ......................................................................................27 The Cyclical Relationship Between Theoretical Orientation and Assessment Methodology ..........................................................................................................29 Development of EF ................................................................................................30 What Are Disorders of EF?....................................................................................35 Executive Dysfunction ...............................................................................35 Perseveration ..............................................................................................37 Emotional