Problems of conduct and executive functions in 5 year old children

• Main Authors: Miriam Romero López, Alicia Benavides Nieto, Ana Belén Quesada Conde, Gloria Álvarez Bernardo
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Asociación Nacional de Psicología Evolutiva y Educativa de la Infancia Adolescencia Mayores y Discapacidad 2016-07-01
• Series: INFAD
• Subjects: problemas de conducta; funciones ejecutivas; control inhibitorio; educación infantil
• Online Access: http://www.infad.eu/RevistaINFAD/OJS/index.php/IJODAEP/article/view/214

Nowadays, behavioral problems are still being a concern social issue due to the many negative consequences that are associated to them, such as low academic performance, increased risk of dropping out of school, peer group rejection, and decreased motivation. An extensive literature suggests an inverse relationship between executive functions and aggressive behavior in humans, that is, high scores in behavioral problems coincide with low scores on tests of executive functioning. Although aggressive behavior develops in early childhood, there are few studies on executive functions that have been made in preschoolers related to behavior problems. For this reason, the present research aims to know the relationship between executive function and behavioral problems in children in the last year of Kindergarten. The study involved 204 students (116 boys and 88 girls) from 5 years old, enrolled in the last year of Kindergarten, in a private publicly funded school in Granada. Parents of students also participate in the research. The results indicate that high scores in behavioral problems are related to low scores on executive functions. In conclusion, many literature suggests a link between aggressive behavior and deficits in executive functions, although these differences are not consistent across studies. Therefore, it would be interesting conduct longitudinal studies that enable to analyze more precisely the impact of executive functions in behavior problems.