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The neural correlates of temperamental inhibitory control in toddlers

Caroline P Hoyniak1, Isaac T Petersen2, John E Bates3

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA choyniak@indiana.edu.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|February 28, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study found that the N2 event-related potential (ERP) component in toddlers is positively associated with effortful control, suggesting it may reflect early self-regulation abilities.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Effortful control is a key aspect of self-regulation crucial for cognitive and social development.
  • The N2 event-related potential (ERP) component is a neural marker associated with cognitive control and response inhibition.
  • Understanding the neural underpinnings of effortful control in early development is essential for identifying developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parent-reported effortful control and the N2 ERP component in toddlers.
  • To determine if the N2 component can serve as a neural index for temperamental effortful control during early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • 107 toddlers (ages 30, 36, and 42 months) participated in the study.
  • Participants completed a Go/NoGo task while electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded.
  • The N2 ERP component, specifically during NoGo trials, was analyzed in relation to parent-reported effortful control.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive association was observed between the NoGo N2 ERP component amplitude and the inhibitory control subscale of effortful control.
  • This finding indicates that toddlers with higher inhibitory control exhibited a stronger N2 response during inhibition tasks.

Conclusions:

  • The N2 ERP component may serve as a reliable neural index for temperamental effortful control in toddlers.
  • These findings contribute to understanding the neural basis of self-regulation development in early childhood.

Keywords:
early childhoodeffortful controlevent-related potentials

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