The developmental trajectories of attention focusing, attentional and behavioral persistence, and externalizing problems during school-age years.

Abstract

The developmental trajectories of attention focusing (parents' and teachers' reports) and attentional and behavioral persistence (observed during a laboratory task) --two indexes of effortful control --and externalizing problems from age 5 to 10 years were examined for 356 children combined from two three-wave (two years apart) longitudinal studies. We identified clusters of children with distinct trajectories for these variables and examined the links between the effortful control trajectories and the externalizing problem trajectories. Although attention focusing remained relatively stable, attentional and behavioral persistence continued to show mean-level changes (especially among the children with less optimal persistence). Children with high and stable trajectories of effortful control tended to exhibit low and stable trajectories of externalizing problems, whereas those with lower and/or less stable trajectories of effortful control showed more elevated and/or fluctuating trajectories of externalizing problems.

Effortful control and early academic achievement of Chinese American children in immigrant families

“…Children's behavioral persistence, an observational index of EC tapping both attention focusing and inhibitory control (Zhou et al, 2007), was assessed with a puzzle box task (Eisenberg et al, 2001(Eisenberg et al, , 2005 in which they were instructed to assemble a wooden puzzle in a large box without looking inside the box. Although a cloth blocked the child's view of the puzzle, the child could easily "cheat" during the task by lifting the cloth.…”

Ready or not: Kindergarten classroom engagement as an indicator of child school readiness

“…Similarly, children who display unstable or low levels of cognitive control (i.e. the ability to resist distractions and temptations) between the ages of five and 10 subsequently show more elevated trajectories of externalising problems (Zhou et al, 2007). Finally, children who demonstrate low levels of effortful control self-report more delinquency and convictions by age 21 (Henry, Caspi, Moffitt, Harrington & Silva, 1999).…”

Identifying Finnish Children’s Impulsivity Trajectories From Kindergarten to Grade 4: Associations With Academic and Socioemotional Development

“…For example, by age 3, children's working memory and ability to shift attention show considerable development, whereas inhibitory control skills keep improving between the ages of 3 and 6 (see Cartwright, 2012). Rapid gains in children's ability to control their behavior and mental processes are associated with physiological maturation and structural changes in the prefrontal cortex that is responsible for goal-directed behavior (Cartwright, 2012;von Suchodoletz et al, 2013;Zelazo et al, 2013;Zhou et al, 2007).…”

“…For example, by age 3, children's working memory and ability to shift attention show considerable development, whereas inhibitory control skills keep improving between the ages of 3 and 6 (see Cartwright, 2012). Rapid gains in children's ability to control their behavior and mental processes are associated with physiological maturation and structural changes in the prefrontal cortex that is responsible for goal-directed behavior (Cartwright, 2012;von Suchodoletz et al, 2013;Zelazo et al, 2013;Zhou et al, 2007).In addition to these naturally occurring neurobiological processes, the development of impulse control is influenced by experiences and social interactions of the individuals with Impulsivity Trajectories from Kindergarten to Grade 4 5 their environments (Blair & Diamond, 2008;Morrison et al, 2010;Zelazo et al, 2013). The way in which caregivers and peers react to children's attempts to regulate their own behavior can either maintain the level of their impulse control or turn the course of its development.…”