摘要：Executive function (EF) has long been considered to be a unitary, domain-general
cognitive ability. However, recent research suggests differentiating “hot” affective and
“cool” cognitive aspects of EF. Yet, findings regarding this two-factor construct are still
inconsistent. In particular, the development of this factor structure remains unclear and
data on school-aged children is lacking. Furthermore, studies linking EF and overweight or
obesity suggest that EF contributes to the regulation of eating behavior. So far, however,
the links between EF and eating behavior have rarely been investigated in children and
non-clinical populations. First, we examined whether EF can be divided into hot and cool
factors or whether they actually correspond to a unitary construct in middle childhood.
Second, we examined how hot and cool EF are associated with different eating styles
that put children at risk of becoming overweight during development. Hot and cool EF
were assessed experimentally in a non-clinical population of 1657 elementary-school
children (aged 6–11 years). The “food approach” behavior was rated mainly via parent
questionnaires. Findings indicate that hot EF is distinguishable from cool EF. However,
only cool EF seems to represent a coherent functional entity, whereas hot EF does not
seem to be a homogenous construct. This was true for a younger and an older subgroup
of children. Furthermore, different EF components were correlated with eating styles,
such as responsiveness to food, desire to drink, and restrained eating in girls but not in
boys. This shows that lower levels of EF are not only seen in clinical populations of obese
patients but are already associated with food approach styles in a normal population of
elementary school-aged girls. Although the direction of effect still has to be clarified,
results point to the possibility that EF constitutes a risk factor for eating styles contributing
to the development of overweight in the long-term.
