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A collection of key findings on executive function research in early childhood and beyond. Use our award-winning MEFS App™ to collect valid and reliable Executive Function data.

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Featured MEFS App™ Research Projects

Child Executive Function Skills Research

Measuring Cognitive Flexibility, Working Memory, and Inhibitory Control Skills

The MEFS App™ provides an efficient and reliable way to directly assess Executive Functioning skills. The ease of use, child engagement, and immediate scoring compared to national norms makes the MEFS App™ ideal for Executive Function research with children. The MEFS App™ can be administered repeatedly to the same child to track changes over time. Existing Executive Function measures developed for research and clinical purposes are lengthy and/or require Ph.D. credentials. Some of these measures are not sensitive across the entire preschool age range. The MEFS App™ is the most reliable Executive Function measure for children as young as 24 months.

Reliability of the MEFS App™

Pre-screening helps determine who can benefit most from EF guidance

Measuring EF over time shows efficacy of teaching and curriculum

Quick feedback provides data on efficacy of activities

Early activity is critical to help prevent children from falling behind

Researchers…Check out our MEFS App™ Measurement Tool!

The Role of Executive Function in a Clinical Setting

Understanding, Measuring, and Improving Executive Functioning Issues

Executive Functioning development is associated with a variety of conditions that affect learning and adaptation, including ADHD, autism, and emotional and behavioral problems. The MEFS App™ is an objective , standardized, and brief assessment that yields reliable and valid information about a child’s Executive Function skills. The MEFS App™ will also track changes in these skills over time. Although the MEFS App™ is not a diagnostic tool, it provides information about a child’s current level of proficiency and growth in Executive Function relative to national norms and a child’s therapeutic goals.
"The research literature clearly points to the critical role that early Executive Function plays in children’s academic and social success, so we need to make sure the study effectively captures children’s skills in this area. The MEFS App™ combines the strength of a trusted measure of Executive Function with the power of big data, allowing us to view the findings from our study within the context of the thousands of other children who have used the app.”
Stephanie Jones
Ph.D., Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Researcher Spotlight

Dr. Jolene Johnson
Associate Director and Assistant Professor Department of Education and Child Development Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Q: What is UNMC’s mission? A: The mission of our department is to serve families, schools, and students through providing program evaluation, professional development, and clinical services. Of primary focus is to reach students with multiple obstacles to learning.

Q: Why focus on Executive Function (EF) in your research? A: Executive function skills are important to academic achievement. By focusing on executive function skills in early childhood settings more students are likely to enter kindergarten with skills that set them up for success. Helping teachers be intentional about noticing and integrating opportunities for students to practice has been key to some of our professional development offerings.

Q: What is your research group working on now? A: Currently, our focus is on the delivery of professional development around social-emotional learning, mindfulness strategies, and executive function activities for early childhood teachers across thirteen national sites and evaluating the impact that has on students’ executive function skills. We are two years into a three-year project and hope to examine the relationships between student executive function scores, language scores, teacher burnout, and classroom quality.

Q: Why do you use the MEFS App™? A: The MEFS App™ is a direct assessment of students’ executive function skills. It is a time-efficient and cost-effective measure that can be used with young children and allows for teachers to track student growth.
Tools for Researchers

Download a description of the MEFS tool.

In this new Institute of Education Sciences paper, Reflection Sciences, Inc. Co-founder Dr. Phil Zelazo and Co-authors Clancy B. Blair and Michael T. Willoughby highlight key findings on executive function in relation to its relevance in educational research and practice. Read the full article here.

The CSUS is a validated caregiver-report measure of children’s developing understanding of the mind and mental states of others, such as what other people perceive, think, and feel. This awareness grows throughout childhood, and is highly correlated with executive function (EF) (e.g., Carlson & Moses, 2001; Devine & Hughes, 2014). With stronger EF skills, children are better able to see things from another person’s perspective, as well as their own. Together, EF and social understanding provide a foundation for successful social interactions and conflict resolution.

Download the Long CSUS Form.

Download the Short CSUS Form.

The DEFSS is a standardized set of photographic stimuli, including both child and adult faces, that has been validated by participants across a range of ages. It consists of 404 validated facial photographs of people between 8 and 30 years old displaying five different emotional expressions: happy, angry, fearful, sad, and neutral.

Download the DEFSS Files.