Understanding the Role of Executive Functions in Academic Skills: A Primer on Measurement and Study Design

Research across multiple fields and a broad range of study designs demonstrates that executive function (EF) serves a critical role in cognitive and academic development. Given the extent of the literature on the topic, the variety of EF models, and the various methods of investigating it, EF can be a challenging topic to navigate. With this article, we aim to provide a primer for researchers new to the field of EF on how to navigate the literature, articulate a study design, and choose EF tasks that align with this study design, specifically when investigating the role of EF in the context of developing academic skills such as reading and mathematics. We first provide a targeted onramp to the wide literature on existing models of EF. Then, we detail specific issues concerning the measurement of EF across different environmental/cultural and cognitive contexts. Lastly, we lay out a practical guide, with heuristics and examples, of how this research can be conducted effectively.