Inhibitory Control in Young Children and Its Role in Emerging Internalization

Abstract

We examined inhibitory control as a quality of temperament that contributes to internalization. Children were assessed twice, at 26-41 months (N = 103) and at 43-56 months (N = 99), on repeated occasions, in multiple observational contexts and using parental reports. Comprehensive behavioral batteries incorporating multiple tasks were designed to measure inhibitory control at toddler and preschool age. They had good internal consistencies, corresponded with maternal ratings, and were developmentally sensitive. Individual children's performance was significantly correlated across both assessments, indicating stable individual differences. Girls surpassed boys at both ages. Children's internalization was observed while they were alone with prohibited objects, with a mundane chore, playing games that occasioned cheating, being induced to violate standards of conduct, and assessed using maternal reports. Inhibitory control was significantly associated with internalization, both contemporaneously and as a predictor in the longitudinal sense. The implications for considering children's temperament as a significant, yet often neglected contributor to developing internalization are discussed.

Using confirmatory factor analysis to understand executive control in preschool children: I. Latent structure.

“…It was included among the tasks requiring resistance to proactive interference, as interference with a current reach depends on reaches on previous trials. The Whisper task (Kochanska, Murray, Jacques, Koenig, & Vandegeest, 1996) required children to whisper the names of a series of pictures of familiar and unfamiliar characters. Children are presumed to have a prepotent tendency to speak or shout the names rather than whispering them, particularly for characters familiar to the child.…”

Contextual risk and parenting as predictors of effortful control and social competence in preschool children

“…Four Stroop-like tasks assessed inhibitory control, that is, the ability to inhibit a prepotent response to provide the correct response. Bear-dragon (Kochanska et al, 1996) is a simplified version of Simon Says in which a child is required to perform actions when a bear puppet gives the directive (5 trials), but not when it is given by a dragon puppet (5 trials). Children's actions were scored as performing no movement, a wrong movement, a partial movement, or a complete movement.…”

“…Effortful control demonstrates a dramatic developmental increase between the ages of 3 and 6 years (Kochanska, Murray, Jacques, Koenig, & Vandegeest, 1996) and is related to children's social competence (e.g., Kochanska et al, 1996;Rothbart, Ahadi, & Hershey, 1994). Effortful control reflects the function of the anterior attentional system, an executive system located in the areas of the midfrontal lobe (Vogt, Finch, & Olson, 1992;Posner & Rothbart, 1994).…”

Executive Attention and Metacognitive Regulation

“…The relevance of emotional control for metacognition is most evident in planning, where a goal needs to be maintained even in the presence of other competing options. In fact, some researchers (Kochanska, Murray, Jacques, Koenig, & Vandegeest, 1996) have hypothesized that inhibitory control may be a good predictor of conscientiousness (i.e., constraint). In support of this, there is a close relation between the concept of inhibitory control (e.g., the ability to delay, to focus attention, and to suppress immediate desires or impulses) and the traits considered prototypical for constraint (e.g., deliberation, control of impulses, planfulness, and pursuit of distant goals) (Kochanska, 1997).…”