Predicting Cognitive Control From Preschool to Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Abstract
In this longitudinal study, the proportion of time preschoolers directed their attention away from rewarding stimuli during a delay-of-gratification task was positively associated with efficiency (greater speed without reduced accuracy) at responding to targets in a go/no-go task more than 10 years later. The overall findings suggest that preschoolers' ability to effectively direct their attention away from tempting aspects of the rewards in a delay-of-gratification task may be a developmental precursor for the ability to perform inhibitory tasks such as the go/no-go task years later. Because performance on the go/no-go task has previously been characterized as involving activation of fronto-striatal regions, the present findings also suggest that performance in the delay-of-gratification task may serve as an early marker of individual differences in the functional integrity of this circuitry.
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This differential in impulse control appears to remain throughout adolescence and young adulthood.
“This differential in impulse control appears to remain throughout adolescence and young adulthood (Eigsti et al. 2006).”
From <i>The Adolescent Brain</i> (2008) · cites this paper as Eigsti et al. 2006
Executive control is a strong predictor for various life outcomes, such as academic achievement, socioeconomic status, and physical health.
“The fact that EF may be improved by means of cognitive training is of particular importance in childhood and adolescence, because EF is a strong predictor for various life outcomes, such as academic attainment, socioeconomic status, and physical health (e.g., Eigsti et al., 2006; Blair and Razza, 2007; Moffitt et al., 2011).”
From Executive control training from middle childhood to adolescence (2014) · cites this paper as Eigsti et al., 2006
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- Authors
- Eigsti, I.-M., Zayas, V., Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., Ayduk, O., Dadlani, M. B., Davidson, M. C., Aber, J. L., & Casey, B. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University
- Columbia University (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- New York University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Eigsti, Inge-Marie
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-06
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 478-484
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2126043413
- Cited by
- 365
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 5.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH063255, R37-MH39349, R01 MH 63255, R37MH039349)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21 DA 15882, R01DA018879, R21DA015882)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- cognitive control, delay of gratification, go/no-go task, inhibitory control, attentional control, preschool children, developmental precursors, frontostriatal circuits, individual differences, executive function, longitudinal development
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Cognition, Female, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Prospective Studies, Reaction Time, Wechsler Scales
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