The Relation between Self Regulation and Cognitive Capacity in Middle and Late Childhood

Övrig information: Abstract Effortful control is a temperament construct which refers to the ability to inhibit a dominant response in order to perform a subdominant response. In children, high levels of effortful control are associated with several positive aspects of social functioning, whereas low levels of effortful control are associated with externalizing problems. The aim of the present study was to examine how effortful control is related to cognitive capacity in the form of working memory, incidental memory and perspective-taking ability. Participants were 208 children with a mean age of 10.0 years. Teachers rated effortful control, whereas cognitive capacity was assessed in individual tests. The results revealed highly significant associations between effortful control and all three aspects of cognitive capacity and indicated that children with high levels of effortful control performed better on all three tests. It is concluded that the development of effortful control may be related to the development of cognitive capacity in several other domains. In future studies, both direct and indirect pathways between temperament and various aspects of cognitive capacity need to be examined. Some practical implications which can be drawn from the research are also discussed.