Vicki Pederson

EDPS 660
Key Information
Authors: G.A. Gioia, P.K. Isquith, S.C. Guy, L.
Kenworthy
Questionnaire: Parents and Teachers (86 items each)
Children age 5 18 years
Assesses executive function behaviour in the home
and school environment
8 Domain specific scales, 2 Broad Indexes, Overall
Score
Additional Products: Preschool (3-5 years), Self-Report
(13-18 years), Adult (18-90 years), Scoring Software
Theoretical Basis
Not developed on a single theory of
executive function
Based on a variety of literature and
research
EF are a collection of processes that
are responsible for guiding,
directing, and managing cognitive,
emotional, and behavioural
functions
EF is an umbrella construct, they
are fluid and dynamic
Located within the Frontal
System and have a prolonged
developmental course
Constructs Measured:
8 Clinical Scales
Inhibit: inhibit, resist, or not act on an impulse
Shift: move freely from one situation, activity
Emotional Control: modulate emotional responses
Initiate: begin a task, generate ideas
Working Memory: hold information in mind for
purpose of completing a task
Plan/Organize: anticipate future events, set goals,
develop steps, grasp main ideas
Monitor: check work, assess own performance
Constructs Measured
2 Broad Indexes Overall Score
Behavioural Regulation Index
(BRI): ability to shift cognitive
set and modulate emotions
and behaviour via appropriate
inhibitory control
Metacognition Index (MI)
ability to initiate, place,
organize, and sustain
problem solving in WM;
cognitively self-mange tasks
Global Executive Composite:
incorporates all 8 clinical
scales
Should not be calculated if
significant difference
between BRI and MI scores
Meta-
Cognition
Behavioral
Regulation
Monitor
Organization of
Materials
Plan/ Organize
Working Memory
Initiate
Emotional Control
Shift
Inhibit
Administration
10 15 minutes to
complete
Parent: completed by
childs parents or
guardians, preferably
both parents
Teacher: completed by
teacher, help from aide
should have had 1 month
of daily contact with
child
Scoring
Raw Scores: Never (N) = 1, Sometimes (S) = 2, Often
(O) = 3
Summed for each scale
Negativity Scale: extent to which respondent answered
selected items in an unusually negative manner
Inconsistency Scale: extent to which respondent
answered similar items in an inconsistent manner
Standard Scores: T-Scores: Mean = 50, SD = 10
Percentile Ranks
90 % Confidence Intervals
Interpretation
Examine Inconsistency and Negativity Scales for
Validity
Examine T-scores for Domains, Indexes, and GEC
Higher scores suggest a higher level of dysfunction
Examine BRI to determine if significantly elevated
likely to have effect on MI
Individual Item Analysis: should not have too much
interpretive significance, but can provide useful
information
Clinical Application
Useful in evaluating and planning interventions for
children with a wide spectrum of development and
acquired neurological conditions
May be helpful in identifying ADHD Subtypes
WM Scale: ADHD, Inattentive
Inhibit Scale: ADHD, Hyperactive-Impulsive and
Combined
Psychometrics
Standardization Reliability and Validity
1419 Parents and 720 Teachers
that reflect the 1999 US
census
Clinical sample included
children with developmental
disorders or acquired
neurological disorders
Reliability: Internal
consistency (.80 - .98), test-
restest (P= .82, T= .88)
interrater agreement (.32)
Validity: Content and
construct

Strengths Limitations
Good psychometric
properties including a
wide variety of disorders
within the clinical
samples
Easy to administer and
score
Reliance on
parent/teacher
Becoming dated (2000)
No single test can
adequately capture
executive functions
Conclusion
The BRIEF is a psychometrically sound, theoretically
coherent measure of executive functions that can be
used as part of the formal assessment process to
provide valuable information on a childs areas of
strengths and needs
References
Gioia, G.A., Isquith, P.K., Guy, S.C., & Kenworthy, L.
(2000). Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive
Function Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: PAR
Gioia, G.A., Isquith, P.K., Guy, S.C., & Kenworthy, L.
(2000). TEST REVIEW: Behavior Rating Inventory of
Executive Function. Child Neuropsychology: A Journal
on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood
and Adolescence, 6(3), 235-238.