Mapping Executive Function Tasks for Children: A Scoping Review for Designing a Research-Oriented Platform

Matheus Rodrigues Felizardo; Nuno Miguel Feixa Rodrigues; António Coelho; Sónia Silva Sousa; Adriana Sampaio; Eva Ferreira de Oliveira

arXiv · 2504.13867

Mapping Executive Function Tasks for Children: A Scoping Review for Designing a Research-Oriented Platform

Matheus Rodrigues Felizardo·Nuno Miguel Feixa Rodrigues·António Coelho·Sónia Silva Sousa·Adriana Sampaio·Eva Ferreira de Oliveira

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Abstract

Background: Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes essential for controlling impulses, staying focused, thinking before acting, and managing information. Childhood is a critical period for EF development, but there is a lack of standardized tools that combine EF tasks with physical activity in a gamified approach. Objectives: This scoping review maps EF tasks for children, identifies common strategies, and explores methods for measuring outcomes, providing a foundation for a research-oriented platform to assess EF development. Design: A systematic search was conducted in SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, and ERIC databases with the query "executive function task" AND (children OR child OR childhood). Inclusion criteria were studies published between 2019 and 2024 in English, with participants aged 5 to 9 years. Data extracted included task details, scoring mechanisms, and stop conditions. Studies lacking clear methodological descriptions were excluded. Results: A total of 2044 articles were identified, with 113 duplicates removed. After selection, 23 studies met the inclusion criteria. The identified tasks are listed in Table 2. Key tasks, strategies, and measurement methodologies were highlighted. Conclusions: Integrating EF tasks into a structured platform offers a promising approach to standardize assessments, fill research gaps, and provide a reliable tool for studying EF development in children. Keywords: Executive Functions, Inhibition, Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, Task Design, Standardization

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Matheus Rodrigues Felizardo, Nuno Miguel Feixa Rodrigues, António Coelho, Sónia Silva Sousa, Adriana Sampaio, Eva Ferreira de Oliveira. 2025-03-28. Mapping Executive Function Tasks for Children: A Scoping Review for Designing a Research-Oriented Platform. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.13867

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