Children's executive functions at 54 months partly account for the association between mothers' early autonomy support and achievement in elementary and high school¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2015 · checked against its sources 2026-10-23 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In a correlational SEM mediation model, adding executive functions reduced the direct association of autonomy support with elementary achievement to nonsignificance (β = .04, ns), with executive functions accounting for 69% of the total effect; for high school achievement they accounted for 39% and the direct effect remained significant (β = .14, p < .001). The authors describe executive functions as partially accounting for the association, and the design cannot show cause. → Bindman 2015

Evidence¶

Bindman 2015¶

Bindman, S. W., Pomerantz, E. M., & Roisman, G. I. (2015). Do Children's Executive Functions Account for Associations Between Early Autonomy-Supportive Parenting and Achievement Through High School? Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000017

q2 · i? · associational · r3

SEM mediation analyses following Baron and Kenny's guidelines in the SECCYD sample; Sobel tests were significant for both outcomes (elementary Z = 3.70, p < .001; high school Z = 3.57, p < .001).

"The effect of mothers’ early autonomy support on children’s achievement during elementary school was reduced to nonsignificance (β =.04, t = 1.41, ns) with children’s executive functions in the model accounting for 69% of the total effect."

Bindman 2015 (2)¶

Bindman, S. W., Pomerantz, E. M., & Roisman, G. I. (2015). Do Children's Executive Functions Account for Associations Between Early Autonomy-Supportive Parenting and Achievement Through High School? Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000017

q2 · i? · associational · r3

High school mediation model in the same SECCYD SEM framework; the indirect path via executive functions was significant (Sobel Z = 3.57, p < .001) but the direct effect "remained significant."

"Children’s executive functions accounted for 39% of the effect of mothers’ autonomy support on children’s high school achievement; however, the direct effect remained significant (β =.14, t = 3.62, p < .001)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Self-Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Early autonomy-supportive parenting predicts children's achievement in both elementary and high school, uniquely over other parenting dimensions — related
• Mothers' early autonomy support uniquely predicts children's executive functions at 54 months over and above warmth, cognitive stimulation, and covariates — related
• The mediating role of executive functions remains significant when children's temperament and vocabulary are modeled as alternative mediators — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Indirect effects via executive functions hold for CPT inhibition, sustained attention, and delay of gratification indicators but not the Day-Night Stroop — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The mediated EC-achievement model is not moderated by children's sex, age, or SES — related