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Research Article
Executive function and school performance among American children: Blacks’ diminished returns
1 Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2 Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
3 Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4 Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
5 Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
Address correspondence to:
Shervin Assari
MD, MPH, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA,
USA
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Article ID: 100008P05SA2020
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Assari S, Boyce S, Bazargan M, Caldwell CH. Executive function and school performance among American children: Blacks’ diminished returns. Edorium J Pediatr 2020;4:100008P05SA2020.ABSTRACT
Aims: In the United States, racial minorities experience weaker effects of economic and non-economic resources on tangible outcomes such as school performance, a pattern called Minorities′ Diminished Returns (MDRs). These MDRs are frequently documented for the effects of family economic resources on Black children’s school performance. However, the existing knowledge is limited regarding MDRs of non-economic assets, such as executive function on children’s school performance. We compared White and Black children for the association between executive function and children’s school performance.
Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 4909 White or Black children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The predictor variable was executive function measured by the stop-signal task. The primary outcome was children’s school performance ranging from 1 to 6. Linear regression was used to perform data analysis.
Results: Overall, higher task-based executive function was associated with higher school performance. Race, however, showed a statistically significant interaction with executive function on children’s school performance. This interaction suggested that high executive function has a weaker positive association with Black children’s school performance than White children.
Conclusion: The positive association between executive function and school performance is weaker for Black than White children. To eliminate the racial gap in school performance, we need to address the diminished returns of Black families’ resources and assets. Not only should we equalize resources and assets but also increase their marginal returns for racial minorities, particularly Black families. Such efforts require public policies at multiple sectors and institutions. We need to empower Black families to better leverage their resources and assets and turn them into tangible outcomes. Simultaneously, we need to reduce discrimination at school and enhance schooling quality in urban areas. Finally, we need to address daily life stressors and barriers that Black families face in their daily lives.
Keywords: Cognition, Ethnicity, Executive function, Race, School performance, Socioeconomic status
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Author Contributions
Shervin Assari - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Shanika Boyce - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Mohsen Bazargan - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Cleopatra H Caldwell - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
AcknowledgmentsData used in the preparation of this article were obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (https://abcdstudy.org), held in the NIMH Data Archive (NDA). This is a multisite, longitudinal study designed to recruit more than 10,000 children aged 9–10 and follow them over 10 years into early adulthood. The ABCD Study is supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants [U01DA041022, U01DA041028, U01DA041048, U01DA041089, U01DA041106, U01DA041117, U01DA041120, U01DA041134, U01DA041148, U01DA041156, U01DA041174, U24DA041123, U24DA041147]. A full list of supporters is available at https://abcdstudy.org/nih-collaborators. A listing of participating sites and a complete listing of the study investigators can be found at https://abcdstudy.org/principal-investigators.html. ABCD consortium investigators designed and implemented the study and/or provided data but did not necessarily participate in analysis or writing of this report. This manuscript reflects the views of the authors and may not reflect the opinions or views of the NIH or ABCD consortium investigators. The ABCD data repository grows and changes over time. The ABCD data used in this report came from DOI: 10.15154/1504041 which can be found at: https://nda.nih.gov/study.html?id=721.
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementAll children signed assent. Written informed consent was taken from the parents.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2020 Shervin Assari et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
