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Updated: May 30, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
The impact of inattention and emotional problems on cognitive control in primary school children
Lin Sørensen1, Kerstin J Plessen, Astri J Lundervold
1Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. lin.sorensen@psybp.uib.no
Objective:
The present study investigated the predictive value of parent/teacher reports of inattention and emotional problems on cognitive control function in 241 children in primary school.
Method:
Cognitive control was measured by functions of set-shifting and working memory as assessed by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and performance-based tests (i.e., Color Trail Test and Digit Span Test). Symptoms of inattention and emotional problems were measured with parent and teacher reports on Swanson Nolan and Pelham-IV questionnaire and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively.
Results:
Clinical symptoms of inattention and emotional problems explained the children's performance on test measures. However, symptoms of inattention made a significant contribution on all the selected measures of cognitive control, whereas reports concerning emotional problems uniquely explained the variance on the Shift scale from the BRIEF.
Conclusion:
Valid information on cognitive control function in primary school children should thus include simultaneous information concerning problems of inattention and emotion.
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