(PS8-B26) The Association Between Authoritarian Parenting Traits and Episodic Future Thinking Skills in Preschoolers

The aim of this study is to examine the association between authoritarian parenting traits and proficiency of executive function (EF) skills, specifically episodic future thinking (EFT), in preschool-aged children. Authoritarian parenting is characterized by strict conformity to rules, restricted autonomy of the child, insensitivity to emotions, and physical control. EFT is the ability to use one’s past experiences to simulate or plan for similar future occurrences. We hypothesize that there will be a negative correlation between the level of reported authoritarian parenting traits and EFT task performance.  

Participants aged 3 to 5 years old will complete a series of virtual tasks with an experimenter over Zoom. One online task is specifically designed to measure EFT performance and will be used in the analysis of this study. The “Spoon Task” measures EFT by introducing a situation in which a key opens a locked treasure chest, but a different chest is still locked. The child is then exposed to a new situation in which he/she experiences a 1-minute delay and must pick one out of three household items to take back to open the other locked chest. If the child correctly chooses the key, EFT proficiency is demonstrated. By choosing the correct answer, children show that they are able to apply previous learning to a futuristic problem or situation that may arise. In addition, the parents of the child participants will be asked to complete the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), which is a 62-item scale that measures authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles using a 5-point Likert scale. Only authoritarian parenting scores will be used for analysis.  

A regression model will be used to analyze the relationship between the level of reported authoritarian characteristics and EFT performance of the child. The predictor variable is the level of authoritarian traits, a continuous variable, and the outcome variable is EFT performance, also a continuous variable. Our current number of participants is 40, however we aim to reach at least 90 participants with 30 individuals per age group (ages 3, 4, and 5).  

The information provided by this study can be applied clinically through education to new parents or as a way to correct maladaptive parenting techniques that may be psychologically damaging to a child. It may provide an explanation as to why a child may show difficulty in daily tasks that require EFT. This study will contribute to existing research on the harmful effects that negative parenting strategies have on children’s EF development. It will also add new information regarding the association between authoritarian parenting and EFT as a specific skill and facet of EF.