Authoritative Parenting and Children’s Executive Functioning: Considering Children’s Biological Sensitivity

Executive functioning (EF), a set of cognitive skills, underlies goal-directed behavior and is crucial for adaptive functioning. Research demonstrates that supportive parenting facilitates the development of EF skills during early childhood. In particular, authoritative parenting, characterized by a balance of control and support, is associated with higher EF skills in children. However, the impact is not uniform, with recent work suggesting that child characteristics may affect the extent to which parenting influences child outcomes. In the current study, we examine relations between authoritative parenting and children’s EF competencies and investigate the moderating role of children’s sensitivity to parental influences using a biological marker of stress reactivity. Participants included a diverse sample of 116 mother-child dyads from a larger longitudinal study involving children between the ages of 3 and 4 years (Mage = 3.12 years, SD = 0.56, 50.86% female) based in the United States. Demographic information and authoritative parenting style were assessed through mothers’ self-report. Children’s EF was assessed through behavioral tasks, and sensitivity was assessed via salivary cortisol reactivity to a series of mild stressors. Results demonstrated that although authoritative parenting was not associated with children’s EF in a main effects model, moderation analysis revealed a significant interaction: authoritative parenting was associated with increased EF only in children with high sensitivity levels. These findings highlight the importance of sensitivity in parent-child relationships, particularly regarding EF development in early childhood. This study may also inform early parenting interventions tailored to child sensitivity levels to facilitate healthy EF development.