Child neuropsychology : a journal on normal and abnormal development in childhood and adolescence
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Early adolescence is a critical period for the development of executive function (EF). EF deficits are associated with increased engagement in multiple health risk behaviors and may be influenced by momentary factors, such as state mindfulness and physical activity. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) leverages the increasing ubiquity of smart-phones to assess moment-to-moment changes in neurocognition and behavior with minimal recall bias and high ecological validity. ⋯ Baseline correlations between flanker task performance and both BRIEF inhibitory control (σ = .23) and working memory subscales (σ = .34) were moderate. Correlations between symmetry span working memory task performance and BRIEF inhibitory control (σabsolute = .28; σpartial = .16) and working memory subscales (σabsolute = .19; σpartial = .15) were slightly lower, demonstrating associations consistent with previous studies. This study supports the feasibility and acceptability of administering two common performance-based EF tasks to adolescents via an EMA approach.