Sunday, March 01, 2026

Research alert: The relationship between #executivefunctions and #mathematics: a systematic review with #meta‑analysis of #longitudinal studies - #SLD #SPED #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologists #EF #Gq

 Open access available here.


Abstract  

Objective  This study examined the  relationship between  executive functions (EF) and  mathematical skills through-out  development using a  meta-analysis of  longitudinal studies. 

Method  This study included (a) longitudinal studies that  (b) reported correlations between  EF measures (assessed at  Time 1) and  mathematics outcomes (assessed at  Time 2) in  (c) typically developing samples ranging in  age from  birth to  18  years. Studies were excluded if  they were (a) not  written in  English or  Portuguese, (b) aggregated data from  typical and  atypical populations, or  (c) combined data from  children and  adolescents without  distinction. A  systematic search was  conducted in  October 2021 and  later updated in  2025 using PsycINFO, SciELO, and  PubMed. The risk of  publication bias was  assessed using funnel plot analysis and  Egger's test. A  random-effects meta-analysis was  performed.

Results  Twenty-nine studies involving children and  adolescents (n  =  104,295; M_age at  Time 1  =  5.4  years; M_age at  Time 2  =  8.4  years) were included. The overall correlation between  EF and  mathematics was  moderate and  statisti-cally significant (r  =  0.30, 95% CI [0.24, 0.36]). Among EF components, working memory showed the  strongest asso-ciation with  mathematical performance (r  =  0.43, 95% CI [0.35, 0.50]), followed by  cognitive flexibility (r  =  0.34, 95% CI [0.27, 0.42]) and  inhibitory control (r  =  0.21, 95% CI [0.13, 0.29]). Age and  study quality did not  significantly moderate the  relationship between  EF and  mathematics. 

Conclusion  The findings suggest that  EF, particularly working memory, is  a  meaningful predictor of  mathematical performance across  development. These results underscore the  importance of  early EF assessment in  informing interventions designed to  prevent math learning difficulties. Despite the  low risk of  publication bias, the  high heterogeneity observed in  most analyses suggests the  influence of  additional moderating variables that  warrant further investigation

Keywords  Executive function, Math, Meta-analysis, Longitudinal


Click here for open access download of article.

IQ score and the “seduction of quantification”: Concise overview of the historical #eugenics use of #IQ and emerging new conceptualizations—#g #WJV #CHC #POT #processoverlap #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologists #emergentproperty

Click on image to enlarge for easy reading




I stumbled on this relatively concise article that provides a nice (and brief) overview of the historical “bad days” of IQ test and score misuse.  Don’t let the title’s focus on epilepsy deter you from reading—the content is relevant to thinking about intelligence and IQ scores in general.  After the succinct overview of the horrible historical uses of IQ tests and scores, the article touches on contemporary theories and thinking (e.g., process overlap theory or POT; CHC cognitive abilties theory) that view the IQ score as nothing more than a statistical emergent property index—and the need to focus on broad CHC abilities from cognitive ability tests. 


Recommended reading--available as open access here

Click here for prior relevant post about IQ scores being emergent property scores.  Click here for WJ V authors view’s on relevance of global IQ scores.  See recent McGrew et al. (2023) article for more information and discussion.