A Look at Executive Control in the Lab, in the Classroom, and in Real-World Achievement

• In Event: 75.062 - Poster Session 18
  In Poster Session: 75.062-2 - Motivational and Cognitive Processes: Self-Regulation, Emotions, and Memory

Abstract

We use longitudinal data to investigate the relation between laboratory measures of executive control (EC), classroom self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors, and ecologically valid measures of academic achievement in math and English/Language Arts. Theoretical definitions of EC have substantial overlap with the educational concept of SRL, where students must engage higher order cognitive skills to plan, monitor progress, and adjust behavior to attain goals. In support of our theory that EC skills are required for successful SRL, we find that student SRL behaviors mediate between 24 and 44 percent of the association between EC and achievement. Our results have implications for cognitive and educational interventions, suggesting that EC can support or may be a bottleneck for SRL and thus academic achievement.

Authors

• Teomara Rutherford, North Carolina State University

• Martin Buschkuehl, MIND Research Institute

• Susanne M. Jaeggi, University of California - Irvine

• George Farkas, University of California - Irvine