Selective Auditory Attention Associated With Language Skills but Not With Executive Functions in Swedish Preschoolers

Tonér, Signe; Kallioinen, Petter; Lacerda, Francisco · 2021 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.664501

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Summary

This study investigates the relationships between language skills, executive functions (EFs), and selective auditory attention in Swedish preschoolers, aiming to clarify the often-overlooked role of specific language components in cognitive development. While previous research has established links between language and EFs, it has frequently relied on limited vocabulary measures and prioritized EF assessments. This research addresses this gap by employing a comprehensive battery of language and EF tests alongside an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm to measure selective auditory attention. The study also examines how demographic factors, including age, socioeconomic status (SES), sex, bi-/multilingualism, and preschool quality, influence these developmental outcomes. The researchers assessed 431 children aged 4–6 years from 18 preschools in the Stockholm region. Language skills were evaluated using the Bus Story Test for narrative ability, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test for receptive vocabulary, and parental reports via the Swedish Communicative Development Inventories for expressive vocabulary and morphology. EFs were measured using the Dimensional Change Card Sort, Fish Flanker, Digit Span, and Head-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes tasks. Selective auditory attention was assessed using a dichotic listening ERP paradigm, where children attended to one of two simultaneous stories while ignoring the other. Background data, including SES and preschool quality (rated via ECERS-3), were collected through parental questionnaires and researcher observations. The results indicated that language skills and EFs correlated only weakly to moderately, suggesting that relying solely on vocabulary measures may overestimate the strength of the language–EF relationship. Contrary to predictions, no significant correlations were found between selective auditory attention and EFs. However, a specific link was identified between morphosyntactic accuracy and selective auditory attention, supporting the hypothesis that suppressing irrelevant stimuli is crucial for processing complex grammatical structures. Parental SES predicted performance across all measures, highlighting persistent inequalities despite Sweden’s relatively small socioeconomic disparities. Bi-/multilingual children performed lower on language tasks even after controlling for SES, whereas no significant differences were found in EFs or attention. A female advantage was observed in both language and EF performance. Preschool attendance and quality did not significantly relate to the outcome measures. These findings imply that the relationship between language and EFs is more nuanced than previously assumed, with specific linguistic components like morphosyntax having distinct cognitive correlates. The lack of association between selective attention and EFs challenges the view that attention is a core component of EFs in early childhood. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to support bi-/multilingual children’s language development in preschool settings. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to better understand the developmental trajectories of these skills and include more diverse SES backgrounds to generalize findings beyond the Swedish context.

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• cognitive capacity variation