The Short Executive Function Scale

Abstract

This study involved a psychometric evaluation of the Short Executive Function Scale (SEFS), a new 15-item self-report questionnaire measuring five constructs: Planning, Inhibition, Working Memory, Shifting, and Emotional Control. Participants included 717 U.S. undergraduate students ( M = 18.9 years old, SD = 1.9; 78.8% cisgender female, 81.7% White) who completed the SEFS. A subset of 156 participants ( M = 18.8 years old, SD = 0.9; 79.5% cisgender female, 83.3% White) completed the SEFS again at 2- to 3-month retest along with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult (BRIEF-A) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). The five-factor model fit well (CFI = 0.941, RMSEA = 0.079) and each scale had acceptable internal consistency ( ω range: .68–.81) and test–retest reliability (ICC range: .75–.89). Apart from Shifting, all SEFS scales had significantly larger convergent validity coefficients with their respective BRIEF-A scales ( r range: −.25 to −.70) than discriminant validity coefficients with the PHQ-8 ( r range: −.06 to −.28). These findings provide preliminary psychometric support for the SEFS.