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Cited by 367Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentStress Responses and CortisolChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Cortisol Reactivity Is Positively Related to Executive Function in Preschool Children Attending Head Start

Blair, Clancy, Granger, Douglas, Peters Razza, Rachel·2005·Child Development
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00863.x
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Abstract

This study examined relations among cortisol reactivity and measures of cognitive function and social behavior in 4- to 5-year-old children (N=169) attending Head Start. Saliva samples for the assay of cortisol were collected at the beginning, middle, and end of an approximately 45-min testing session. Moderate increase in cortisol followed by down-regulation of this increase was positively associated with measures of executive function, self-regulation, and letter knowledge but not with measures of receptive vocabulary, emotion knowledge, or false belief understanding. Regression analysis indicates that executive function accounted for the association between cortisol reactivity and self-regulation and letter knowledge.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00863.x

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  • The stress response system modulates learning in several ways; HPA and autonomic profiles have been associated with individual differences in cognitive functioning, memory, and self-regulation or executive function.

    “The SRS modulates learning in a number of different ways: HPA and autonomic profiles have been associated with individual differences in cognitive functioning (e.g., Staton et al., 2009), memory (e.g., Stark et al., 2006), and self-regulation/executive function (e.g., Blair et al., 2005; Shoal et al., 2003; Williams et al., 2009)”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Blair et al., 2005

  • Cortisol responsivity has been related to executive function and self-regulation in preschoolers and to task engagement and sensitivity to feedback in adults.

    “Cortisol responsivity has been related to executive function and self-regulation in preschoolers (Blair et al., 2005) and task engagement and sensitivity to feedback in adults (Tops et al., 2006a).”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Blair et al., 2005

  • The link between stress hormone levels and executive functions has been shown in naturalistic studies of preschool children and in pharmacological studies with adults.

    “In humans the link between stress hormone levels and executive functions has been demonstrated in naturalistic studies with preschool children (Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005; Davis, Bruce, & Gunnar, 2002) and in pharmacological manipulations with adults (Alexander, Hillier, Smith, Tivarus, & Beversdorf, 2007; Lupien, Gillin, & Hauger, 1999).”

    From Salivary cortisol mediates effects of poverty and parenting on executive functions in early childhood (2011) · cites this paper as Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005

  • In typically developing children from low-income and middle-income homes, moderately higher cortisol levels are associated with better performance on executive function and self-regulation measures.

    “In similar keeping with the inverted U relation between stress levels and EFs, studies of typically developing children, both in low-income and in middle-income homes, indicate that moderately higher levels of cortisol are associated with better performance on measures of EFs and self-regulation (Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005; Davis, Bruce, & Gunnar, 2002).”

    From Stress and the development of self-regulation in context (2010) · cites this paper as Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005

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Authors
Blair, C., Granger, D., & Peters Razza, R.
Affiliations
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
  • The Pennsylvania State University
Corresponding author
Blair, Clancy
ORCID
Venue
Child Development
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2005-05-01
Volume
76
Issue
3
Pages
554-567
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00863.x
OpenAlex
W1989512105
Cited by
367
References
12
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 37
FWCI
57.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P01 HD39667, R03 HD39750, P01HD039667, R03HD039750)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
cortisol response, executive function, preschool children, Head Start, self-regulation, letter knowledge, cognitive function, social behavior, stress hormones, early childhood
MeSH terms
Arousal, Attention, Child, Preschool, Concept Formation, Culture, Emotions, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Internal-External Control, Male, Personality Assessment, Poverty, Problem Solving, Psychomotor Performance, Mental Recall, Reference Values, Regression Analysis, Saliva, Statistics as Topic, Vocabulary, Early Intervention, Educational, Comprehension

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