Executive functioning in the first 24 months: A scoping review of the A-not-B task.

IF 2.1 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL

Psychological Research-Psychologische Forschung Pub Date : 2026-07-15 DOI:10.1007/s00426-026-02330-5

Cláudia Ramos, Alfredo F Pereira, Joana Baptista

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Abstract

Recent studies highlight the importance of early executive functioning (EF); notwithstanding, these studies remain limited due to methodological difficulties. The A-not-B task has been adapted to assess EF; however, variations in its administration hinder result comparability and standardization. This scoping review mapped the procedures used in studies employing the A-not-B task to assess EF in children up to 24 months. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for empirical studies published in English. From 350 references, 53 articles were included. Most studies primarily focused on assessing global EF, working memory, and inhibitory control; employed the standard two-locations task with fixed delays, used two consecutive correct trials to switch locations, and measured accuracy as the main outcome. Testing typically ended after the completion of trials/sequences. Few studies reported inclusion criteria. This review summarizes A-not-B procedures to identify research gaps and support methodological consistency in early EF assessment.

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前24个月的执行功能：A-非- b任务的范围审查。

最近的研究强调早期执行功能（EF）的重要性；尽管如此，由于方法上的困难，这些研究仍然有限。A-not-B任务已被用于评估EF；然而，其管理的差异阻碍了结果的可比性和标准化。本综述绘制了采用A-not-B任务评估24个月以下儿童EF的研究程序。在PubMed， Scopus和Web of Science中搜索以英语发表的实证研究。从350篇参考文献中，纳入了53篇文章。大多数研究主要集中在评估全局EF、工作记忆和抑制控制；采用具有固定延迟的标准两位置任务，使用连续两次正确的试验来切换位置，并以测量准确度为主要结果。测试通常在试验/序列完成后结束。很少有研究报道纳入标准。本综述总结了A-not-B程序，以确定研究差距并支持早期EF评估方法的一致性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Psychological Research-Psychologische Forschung PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL-

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

8.70%

发文量

137

期刊介绍： Psychological Research/Psychologische Forschung publishes articles that contribute to a basic understanding of human perception, attention, memory, and action. The Journal is devoted to the dissemination of knowledge based on firm experimental ground, but not to particular approaches or schools of thought. Theoretical and historical papers are welcome to the extent that they serve this general purpose; papers of an applied nature are acceptable if they contribute to basic understanding or serve to bridge the often felt gap between basic and applied research in the field covered by the Journal.