Age-related change in inhibitory processes when controlling working memory capacity and processing speed: A...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Development
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Empirical evidence on age-related changes in inhibitory control is inconsistent.
• Previous research has not adequately controlled for working memory capacity and processing speed when examining inhibitory functions.
• The construct of inhibition itself has faced scrutiny in recent scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related changes in inhibitory control across three child age groups (7-8, 11-12, 14-16 years).
• To determine if inhibitory control is an independent cognitive factor, distinct from working memory capacity and processing speed.
• To explore the organizational structure of inhibitory functions while accounting for working memory and processing speed.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multigroup confirmatory factor analysis on data from 450 children.
• Examined inhibitory control performance across distinct age cohorts.
• Controlled for working memory capacity (WMC) and processing speed in the analyses.

Main Results:

• Inhibitory control appears to be organized as a one-dimensional factor.
• Processing speed and working memory capacity were found to modulate the variability of certain inhibition tasks.
• The inhibition factor demonstrated partial independence, explaining variance in inhibitory tasks even after controlling for WMC and processing speed.

Conclusions:

• Inhibitory control is a partially independent cognitive function that develops with age.
• Working memory capacity and processing speed influence, but do not fully determine, inhibitory control.
• This study provides evidence for the distinctiveness of inhibition as a cognitive construct in developing children.