ABSTRACT
Research in the past decade revealed the significance of parenting in the development of Executive Function (EF) during the preschool period. Nonetheless, the influence of father parenting on children’s EF development has not been well explored. Furthermore, there have been limited studies that investigate mother and father parenting concurrently in relation to children’s EF development. This research aims to explore the contribution of parental autonomy support and controlling behaviour on a child’s EF. Children aged 48–72 months old (N = 59) and their parents participated in a laboratory session. The child’s EF was measured through three different tests, and parenting behaviour was observed during the dyadic interaction. Results indicate that higher controlling behaviour from the mother predicts poorer child EF performances. Meanwhile, after controlling for important covariates and the quality of maternal parenting, no significant contribution from the father was found. This research extends previous studies about the independent effect of the father and the detrimental effect of negative parenting on the child’s executive function.
