Planning-organization and Inhibitory Control in Preschoolers from Different Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Executive functions are responsible for regulating and coordinating cognitions, emotions and behaviors aimed at achieving a specific goal. Sociocultural differences of development contexts may modulate the executive functions. Therefore, identifying the alterations in executive functions and their correlations in the daily functioning of the child is indispensable for the application of early interventions. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate and to compare the executive functions, specifically inhibitory control and planning-organization skills in Argentinian preschoolers, belonging to different socioeconomic contexts. A cross-sectional descriptive-correlation design was implemented. The sampling was formed by 67 preschoolers of 4 and 5 years old. The children were evaluated by the Porteus Labyrinths Test and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool Version (teacher’s version). Results showed low correlations between the aforementioned test and the behavioral inventory in the participants. Additionally, according to the teachers report, there was a lower performance in planning and inhibitory control skills in preschoolers of low socioeconomic status, in comparison to their middle status peers. The data obtained allowed for concluding that the impoverishment of the socio-cultural and material conditions of children’s homes is associated with higher rates of impulsivity and difficulties in planning behavior in school context.