TY - THES A1 - Lensing, Johanna Nele T1 - Executive Functions in Middle Childhood BT - Developmental Trajectories and Associations with Body Weight N2 - This doctoral dissertation aims at elucidating the development of hot and cool executive functions in middle childhood and at gaining insight about their role in childhood overweight. The dissertation is based on three empirical studies which have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Data from a large 3-year longitudinal study (the “PIER-study”) was used. The findings presented in the dissertation demonstrated that both hot and cool EF abilities increase during middle childhood. They also supported the notion that hot and cool EF facets are distinguishable from each other in middle childhood, that they have distinct developmental trajectories, and different predictors. Evidence was found for associations of hot and cool EF with body weight in middle childhood, which is in line with the notion that they might play a role in the self-regulation of eating and the multifactorial etiology of childhood overweight. KW - self-regulation KW - executive function KW - overweight KW - middle childhood Y1 - 2018 ER - TY - THES A1 - Holl, Anna Katharina T1 - Deficits in theory of mind and executive function as risk factors for conduct problems from middle childhood to early adolescence – a longitudinal perspective T1 - Defizite in Theory of Mind und exekutiven Funktionen als Risikofaktoren für Verhaltensprobleme von der mittleren Kindheit bis zur frühen Adoleszenz - eine längsschnittliche Perspektive N2 - In this thesis, deficits in theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) were examined in tandem and separately as risk factors for conduct problems, including different forms and functions of aggressive behavior. All three reported studies and the additional analyses were based on a large community sample of N = 1,657 children, including three waves of a longitudinal study covering middle childhood and the transition to early adolescence (range 6 to 13 years) over a total of about three years. All data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. Altogether, the results of all the conducted studies in this thesis extend previous research and confirm the propositions of the SIP model (Crick & Dodge, 1994) and of the amygdala theory of violent behavior (e.g., Blair et al., 2014) besides other accounts. Considering the three main research questions, the results of the thesis suggest first that deficits in ToM are a risk factor for relational and physical aggression from a mean age of 8 to 11 years under the control of stable between-person differences in aggression. In addition, earlier relationally aggressive behavior predicts later deficits in ToM in this age range, which confirms transactional relations between deficits in ToM and aggressive behavior in children (Crick & Dodge, 1994). Further, deficits in ToM seem to be a risk factor for parent-rated conduct problems cross-sectionally in an age range from 9 to 13 years. Second, deficits in cool EF are a risk factor for later physical, relational, and reactive aggression but not for proactive aggression over a course of three years from middle childhood to early adolescence. Habitual anger seems to mediate the relation between cool EF and physical, and as a trend also relational, aggression. Deficits in emotional and inhibitory control and planning have a direct effect on the individual level of conduct problems under the control of interindividual differences in conduct problems at a mean age of 8 years, but not on the trajectory of conduct problems over the course from age 8 to 11. Third, when deficits in cool EF and ToM are studied in tandem cross-sectionally at the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence, deficits in cool EF seem to play only an indirect role through deficits in ToM as a risk factor for conduct problems. Finally, all results hold equal for females and males in the conducted studies. The results of this thesis emphasize the need to intervene in the transactional processes between deficits in ToM and in EF and conduct problems, including different forms and functions of aggression, particularly in the socially sensible period from middle and late childhood to early adolescence. N2 - In dieser Arbeit wurden Defizite in Theory of Mind (ToM) und Exekutiven Funktionen (EF) als Risikofaktoren für Verhaltensprobleme, einschließlich verschiedener Formen und Funktionen aggressiven Verhaltens, gemeinsam und getrennt untersucht. Als theoretischer Hintergrund diente neben anderen Theorien die SIP-Theorie von Crick und Dodge (1994). Alle drei berichteten Studien und die zusätzlichen Analysen basierten auf einer großen Bevölkerungsstichprobe von N = 1.657 Kindern, und schlossen drei Wellen einer Längsschnittstudie ein, die einen Zeitraum von insgesamt etwa drei Jahren von der mittleren Kindheit bis zum Übergang zur frühen Adoleszenz (6 bis 13 Jahre) abdeckte. Alle Daten wurden mit Strukturgleichungsmodellen analysiert. Zusammenfassend bestätigen und erweitern die Ergebnisse der durchgeführten Studien bisherige Forschung und bestätigen die Annahmen des SIP-Modells (Crick & Dodge, 1994) und der Amygdala-Theorie gewaltsamen Verhaltens (z.B., Blair et al., 2014), neben anderen Theorien. In Bezug auf die drei hauptsächlichen Forschungsfragen deuten die Ergebnisse der Studien erstens darauf hin, dass Defizite in ToM Risikofaktoren für relationale und physische Aggression von einem durchschnittlichen Alter von 8 bis 11 Jahren sind unter der Kontrolle von stabilen interindividuellen Unterschieden in Aggression. Darüber hinaus sagt früheres relational aggressives Verhalten spätere Defizite in ToM in diesem Altersbereich voraus, was die transaktionalen Beziehungen zwischen Defiziten in ToM und aggressivem Verhalten bei Kindern bestätigt (Crick & Dodge, 1994). Weiterhin zeigen sich Defizite in ToM als Risikofaktor für durch die Eltern eingeschätzte Verhaltensprobleme in einem Altersbereich von 9 bis 13 Jahren im Querschnitt. Zweitens sind Defizite in kalten EF ein Risikofaktor für spätere physische, relationale und reaktive Aggression, nicht aber für proaktive Aggression, über einen Zeitraum von drei Jahren von der mittleren Kindheit bis zur frühen Adoleszenz. Habitueller Ärger scheint die Beziehung zwischen kalten EF und phyischer, und als Trend auch relationaler Aggression zu vermitteln. Defizite in der emotionalen und inhibitorischen Kontrolle und Planung wirken sich unter der Kontrolle interindividueller Unterschiede in Verhaltensproblemen im durchschnittlichen Alter von 8 Jahren direkt auf die individuelle Höhe der Verhaltensprobleme aus, nicht aber auf den Verlauf der Verhaltensprobleme im Zeitraum von 8 bis 11 Jahren. Drittens, wenn Defizite in kalten EF und ToM am Übergang von der mittleren Kindheit zur frühen Adoleszenz gemeinsam im Querschnitt untersucht werden, scheinen Defizite in kalten EF nur eine indirekte Rolle vermittelt durch Defizite in ToM als Risikofaktor für Verhaltensprobleme zu spielen. Schließlich gelten alle Ergebnisse in den durchgeführten Studien für Mädchen und Jungen gleichermaßen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit betonen die Notwendigkeit, in die transaktionalen Prozesse zwischen Defiziten in ToM und EF und Verhaltensproblemen einzugreifen, einschließlich verschiedener Formen und Funktionen von Aggression, v.a. in der sozial sensiblen Altersspanne von der mittleren und späten Kindheit bis zur frühen Adoleszenz. KW - Theory of Mind KW - executive function KW - conduct problems KW - middle childhood KW - early adolescence KW - Theory of Mind KW - exekutive Funktionen KW - Verhaltensprobleme KW - mittlere Kindheit KW - frühe Adoleszenz Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-459915 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Austin, Gina A1 - Groppe, Karoline A1 - Elsner, Birgit T1 - The reciprocal relationship between executive function and theory of mind in middle childhood: a 1-year longitudinal perspective JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - There is robust evidence showing a link between executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) in 3-to 5-year-olds. However, it is unclear whether this relationship extends to middle childhood. In addition, there has been much discussion about the nature of this relationship. Whereas some authors claim that ToM is needed for EF, others argue that ToM requires EF. To date, however, studies examining the longitudinal relationship between distinct sub components of EF [i.e., attention shifting, working memory (WM) updating, inhibition] and ToM in middle childhood are rare. The present study examined (1) the relationship between three EF subcomponents (attention shifting, WM updating, inhibition) and ToM in middle childhood, and (2) the longitudinal reciprocal relationships between the EF subcomponents and ToM across a 1-year period. EF and ToM measures were assessed experimentally in a sample of 1,657 children (aged 6-11 years) at time point one (t1) and 1 year later at time point two (t2). Results showed that the concurrent relationships between all three EF subcomponents and ToM pertained in middle childhood at t1 and t2, respectively, even when age, gender, and fluid intelligence were partialle dout. Moreover, cross-lagged structural equation modeling (again, controlling for age, gender, and fluid intelligence, as well as for the earlier levels of the target variables), revealed partial support for the view that early ToM predictslater EF, but stronger evidence for the assumption that early EF predictslater ToM. The latter was found for attention shifting and WM updating, but not for inhibition. This reveals the importance of studying the exact interplay of ToM and EF across childhood development, especially with regard to different EF subcomponents. Most likely, understanding others' mental states at different levels of perspective-taking requires specific EF subcomponents, suggesting developmental change in the relations between EF and ToM across childhood. KW - executive function KW - theory of mind KW - longitudinal KW - middle childhood KW - attention shifting KW - inhibition KW - working memory updating Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00655 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 5 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER -