title: Measuring the development of executive control with the shape school.
abstract: Although several neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders can emerge during the preschool period, there are comparatively few instruments to assess executive control. Evidence for validity of the Shape School (K. A. Espy, 1997) was examined in a sample of 219 typically developing young children. There was good evidence for validity, as Shape School performance variables were interrelated and were associated to other criterion measures considered to measure aspects of executive control. Also suggesting validity, the Shape School variables varied as a function of whether the task demands (a) were executive, (b) required inhibition of a prepotent response or context-controlled selection among relevant stimulus-response sets, and (c) included unitary or concurrent processing. The Shape School may be an effective tool by which to measure executive control in young children who have atypical developmental patterns.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
authors.forename: Kimberly Andrews
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Espy
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.affiliation: Department of Family & Community Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stroup
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology