Development of adolescent executive function scale

Objective To develop a scale of the executive functional status for adolescents. Methods Regarding to the structure and the conception of executive function and the results of interviews to several adolescents, a preliminary inventory including 37 items was developed. The investigation sample consisted of 1722 students from 2 provinces in China by stratified sampling, and the the internal consistency , conduct validity and criterion validity were assessed by exploratory factor analysis. Results The revised scale including 21 items was consisted of three factors: inhibition control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, which explained 45.39% of the total variance. The factor loading ranged from 0.499 to 0.727.The Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.786-0.897 for the scale and its three factors. Factor structure fitted actual data and its fit indices were χ2=530.44, df=186, RESMA=0.053, GFI=0.93, AGFI=0.91, NFI=0.96, CFI=0.97. Conclusion It shows that the reliability and validity of the scale meet the standard of the psychometrics, and it can be suitable for evaluating the functional status of execution of Chinese adolescent. Key words: Adolescents; Executive Function; Scale development; Reliability; Validity