Self-control matures later than working memory in adolescence, large analysis finds
Adolescence, the developmental phase between childhood and adulthood, is marked by substantial mental, emotional and social changes. Past psychological studies suggest that during this stage, humans gradually acquire greater control over their thoughts and actions, learn to better regulate their emotions and further develop their social skills.
A large-scale study of Chinese adolescents aged 11 to 18 has revealed that inhibitory control, a crucial executive function, continues to mature well into late adolescence, while working memory performance reaches a peak at an earlier age. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, and Tsinghua University analyzed data from over 33,000 adolescents, comparing their performance on tasks measuring inhibitory control and working memory.
Inhibitory control, the ability to suppress impulsive or inappropriate responses, was assessed using a Go/No-Go task, while working memory was evaluated through 1-back and 2-back tasks. The findings suggest that inhibitory control development lags behind working memory, plateauing earlier and with smaller differences in performance among peers as they age.
This pattern was replicated in an analysis of 11,549 U.S. adolescents, indicating consistent developmental trajectories across different populations. The study's results provide valuable benchmarks for understanding executive function development during adolescence and highlight sensitive periods when deviations from normative performance may signal mental health vulnerabilities.
These insights could aid in the development of targeted mental health interventions and prevention strategies tailored to adolescents' evolving cognitive abilities.
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