Cognitive flexibility and academic performance of children in care and children from a community sample: the contrasting mediator effect of task persistence

ABSTRACT Objective This study investigated the role of cognitive flexibility and temperament as predictors of academic performance, in children in care and children from a community sample, longitudinally. Also, it examined the mediating role of child’s temperament in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and academic performance, as well as between-group differences. Method Participants were 46 children in care and 48 children from a community sample, aged 6 to 10 years. Cognitive flexibility, temperament, and academic performance were assessed with the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices set B (RCPM-B), the Portuguese version of School-Age Temperament Inventory (SATI), and the competence academic scale (CAS) of the Portuguese version of the Social Skills Rating System – Teacher Form (SSRS-T), respectively. Results Cognitive flexibility was a significant predictor of academic performance only for children in care. In both groups, negative reactivity and task persistence predicted academic performance, and children’s task persistence mediated the relationship between cognitive flexibility and academic performance. However, a between group difference was observed in this mediation: in addition to the mediation effect observed in both groups, a direct effect was also found in the in-care group. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of promoting cognitive and task persistence competencies in normative and at-risk populations. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: Cognitive abilities are widely recognized as a determinant factor for academic performance in both nonclinical and at-risk populations. The predictive effect of temperament on school academic performance is widely described. Cognitive flexibility difficulties and poor academic performance among children in care are widely documented. What this study adds: In the in-care group, cognitive flexibility predicted academic performance one year later, but this longitudinal prediction was not significant for the community sample group. The mediating role of temperament dimensions in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and academic performance was examined and only task persistence showed a significant mediation effect in both groups. This mediation effect was different between groups, as, in addition to the mediator effect observed in both groups, a direct effect was found in the in-care group.