What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate the relationship between executive functions and episodic foresight development in preschoolers.

July 10, 20260 citationsOpen Access

Supplementary materials for: Hot and Cool Executive Functions Play a Minor Role for Cross-Sectional Development of Episodic Foresight in Preschoolers

JMJessica Marks SSSilvia Schneider LKLeonard Konstantin Kulisch

Key Points

To investigate the relationship between executive functions and episodic foresight development in preschoolers.
Conducted two cross-sectional experiments with 613 preschoolers aged 3-5 years.
Children completed an episodic foresight task and five executive function tasks.
Manipulated event importance and children's current desires in two experimental designs.
Executive functions did not mediate age differences in episodic foresight development.
Findings indicate a lesser role of executive functions in episodic foresight than previously assumed.

Abstract

In theory, episodic foresight (EpF) develops with growing executive functions (EF) and their impact depends on motivation (event importance, current desires). In two theory-driven, cross-sectional, large-scale experiments, children (3-5 years, N = 613) completed an EpF task and five EF tasks (working memory, affective decision making, inhibitory control, modulation of affective bottom-up processes, shifting). Event importance (high vs. low) and current desires (Experiment 1: compatible vs. neutral; Experiment 2: conflicting vs. neutral) were manipulated. EF did not mediate age differences in EpF irrespective of event importance and current desires. In line with previous empirical studies, current results suggest that EF may play a less important role in EpF development than assumed.

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