Development of Executive Functions in Preschoolers with Different Sibling Positions

Abstract

The development of the executive functions in older preschoolers largely determines their subsequent successful adaptation and schooling. The purpose of the research is to identify the developmental features of the executive functions in older preschoolers with different sibling positions. The relevance of the theme is due to the growing number of children with insufficient development of self-regulation. The study involved 393 preschoolers attending senior groups of kindergartens: 153 - single children in the family, 99 - oldest, 21 - middle, 110 - youngest children, 10 - twins). The levels of development of the participants’ executive functions were determined using three subtests of the neuropsychological complex NEPSY II (“Inhibition”, “Sentences Repetition” and “Memory for Design”) as well as the “Dimensional Change Card Sort” technique by F. Zelazo. It was revealed that auditory-speech memory is best developed in the oldest children in the family. The results obtained make it possible to suggest a different structure of connections between different components of executive functions in children with different sibling positions. The level and structure of the developed executive functions in the single and youngest children in the family are more similar to each other than in the oldest and single children or in the oldest and youngest ones.

Keywords

• sibling position
• preschool age
• executive functions
• auditory-speech memory