Evidence suggests that behavioral regulation skills, including attention, working memory, and inhibitory control, are essential in the academic and social development of preschoolers. As the demands of formal schooling increase, behavioral regulation skills are necessary for school success. The current study focuses on a direct measure of behavior, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task, which requires children to respond to counterintuitive commands that target regulatory skills. Data were collected from 227 students in an urban, culturally diverse school district during the fall and spring of their prekindergarten school year. The nature of the HTKS was examined, including the variability of scores, correlation with demographic variables, and growth over the prekindergarten year. In addition, the relation between HTKS scores and measures of language skills and teacher-rated behavior were investigated. HTKS scores were significantly correlated with age, ethnicity, home language, and mothers’ years of education. Significant gains in behavioral regulation were found. HTKS scores were significantly, positively related to vocabulary scores in the fall and spring. Fall HTKS scores significantly correlated with spring teacher-rated behavior. Limitations and implications of the current study are discussed.
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School Psychology
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Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Rutgers University. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
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Author Agreement License
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