Longitudinal associations between socioeconomic status and executive function during adolescence: Evidence from the SCAMP study

Few studies have isolated associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and executive function (EF) in adolescence, when EF inequalities may be particularly consequential for academic attainment. Using data from the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones ( n = 2726) and multiple regressions, we evaluated relationships between SES indices (parental education and occupation, area-level deprivation, and household poverty) and EF tasks, controlling for demographic factors. Replicating findings from childhood, latent SES and EF measures associated cross-sectionally at age 12 (β = 0.11, [0.07, 0.15]). We further observed a small increase in the socioeconomic EF gradient between 12 and 14 years (β = 0.07, [0.04, 0.11]), with which was specifically associated with parental occupation and household poverty. Working memory span tasks were particularly sensitive to SES. Our results highlight specific SES-EF associations during adolescence and could help identify pupils at risk for cognitive, and therefore academic, challenges who may benefit from targeted support. Individual differences in EF skills associate with educational outcomes across development, as well as health and occupational outcomes in adulthood. This study demonstrates that, in a UK sample, SES not only associates with individual differences in EF in childhood, but that over a period as short as two years, parental occupation and household poverty (but not parental education or area deprivation), associate with small but significant increasing differences in adolescents' working memory skills. By isolating specific associations between aspects of SES and EF inequalities, this study suggests family level factors have an enduring influence on cognitive skills into adolescence, which may contribute to the trend of increasing attainment inequalities seen in this age group. The findings help to narrow the pool of likely causal explanations for social inequalities in EF skills and may help to identify pupils who are at risk for cognitive, and therefore academic, challenges. • We used data from a longitudinal cohort study of teenagers from London (England) • Different aspects of SES were considered • The SES gradient in EF skills widened during early adolescence • Household poverty and parental occupation were associated with EF development • Working memory span tasks showed the strongest association with SES