Behavioral and Brain Measures of Executive Attention and School Competence in Late Childhood

This study examines the role of executive attention on school competence in early adolescence. Twelve-year-old children (N = 37) performed a combined Flanker-Go/No-Go task while their brain activation was registered using electroencephalogram (EEG). Additionally, measures of children regulation, schooling skills, and academic achievement were obtained. We observed that individual differences in executive attention and Effortful Control predict most dimensions of school competence. Also, individual differences in the amplitude of event-related potentials (ERPs) related to interference suppression predict school achievement and some skills important for school. The results are consistent with the role attributed to executive attention in self-regulation.