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Development of inhibitory control across the life span
B R Williams1, J S Ponesse, R J Schachar
1Department of Psychiatry Research, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Developmental Psychology
|January 29, 1999
Summary
Inhibitory control, or the ability to stop responses, improves through childhood but remains stable in adulthood. This contrasts with reaction time, which speeds up in childhood and slows down in adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Inhibitory control is crucial for adaptive behavior.
- Understanding its developmental trajectory across the lifespan is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of inhibitory control using the stop-signal procedure.
- To examine age-related changes in response inhibition and execution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the stop-signal procedure with 275 participants aged 6 to 81.
- Measured reaction times to go signals and stop signals to assess response execution and inhibition.
Main Results:
- Inhibitory control (stopping speed) improved with age through childhood, with minimal changes in adulthood.
- Response execution (go-signal reaction time) showed age-related speeding in childhood and slowing in adulthood.
- Hierarchical regression indicated inhibitory control changes were independent of general response speed changes.
Conclusions:
- Inhibitory control and response execution follow distinct developmental paths.
- The stop-signal procedure is a valuable tool for studying inhibitory control development across the lifespan.