Poster #24 - Age and Gender Performances on Inhibitory Control Tasks

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Behavioral regulation refers to an individual’s ability to manage, reform, or change one’s physical actions to emit a desired response (Baumeister, 2007; Ponitz, et al., 2009). Conceptually, researchers have defined behavioral regulation – also commonly referred to as executive functioning (EF) – as the physical manifestation of cognitive processes (Ponitz, et al., 2009; McClelland, et al., 2015). Previous researchers have found EF to be a significant predictor of a child’s academic success (Blair & Razza, 2006; McClelland et al., 2000, 2006, 2014; Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2009). Due to the potential impact of EF on other aspects of children’s lives, it is important to work towards understanding it more thoroughly, such as factors associated with high or low EF. For example, researchers suggest age is positively associated with EF. Some researchers have found that female identified children tend to have higher EF, though the literature is inconsistent, and often suggests no meaningful gender effects (McClelland et al., 2015). Executive functioning consists of attentional focusing, inhibitory control, and working memory (Ponitz, et al., 2009; McClelland et al., 2015). The current study will focus solely on inhibitory control (IC), which is defined as the ability to subdue an automatic response (Gagne and Saudino, 2016; Spruijt et al., 2017). Specifically, we will examine how children’s age and gender relate to IC. Few researchers have examined the effects of children’s age and gender on behavioral regulation in low-income families while controlling for generalizable variables such as parent’s socioeconomic status and child’s level of intelligence. In this cross-sectional study, we aim to fill this gap by measuring inhibitory control in at-risk children (N = 91, ages 3-7). In this study, children participate in the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) activity, and complete a Go/No-Go measure. These tasks are commonly used to assess inhibitory control (Falconer et al., 2007). Woodcock Johnson III (WJ III) Picture Vocabulary and Applied Problems subtest (Mather & Jaffe, 2002), which was used to control of intelligence, or cognitive ability. Result from multiple regression analyses showed a significant relationship between age and IC as measured by HTKS, but not for the Go/No-Go when demographics and intelligence are controlled. Gender did not have a significant effect on HTKS or Go/No-Go scores. Post-data analyses revealed a strong, positive association between WJ III Applied Problems subtest and HTKS, supporting results and relatively new previous findings. These results suggest that at-risk children’s inhibitory control improves as they get older, and that gender has little influence on a child’s ability to regulate their behavior, supporting the findings of past researchers. Additionally, these findings may indicate that HTKS assesses broader cognitive processes, including inhibitory control, influencing quantitative reasoning, and mental planning, which is required for WJ III Applied Problems. Implications, limitations, and future directions for research will be discussed.

Authors

• Steven Douglas Smith Jr., University of Oregon
  Presenting Author

• Jessica Norman Wells, University of Oregon
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kyndl Woodlee, University of Oregon
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elizabeth A. Skowron, University of Oregon
  Non-Presenting Author