Intentional Self-Regulation and Executive Functions: Overlap and Uniqueness in Predicting Positive Development Among Youth in Iceland

• Published in: The Journal of Early Adolescence
• Main Authors: Gestsdottir, Steinunn, Geldhof, G. John, Birgisdóttir, Freyja, Andrésdóttir, Jóhanna C.
• Other Authors: Icelandic Centre for Research
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2022
• Subjects: Life-span and Life-course Studies; Sociology and Political Science; Social Sciences (miscellaneous); Developmental and Educational Psychology; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02724316221113355; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/02724316221113355; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/02724316221113355

This study examined relations between intentional self-regulation (ISR) and executive functions (EFs) among 84 Icelandic youth in Grade 6 (mean age 11.7 years; 51% girls) and their contributions to healthy and problematic outcomes a year later. ISR was indicated by the Selection, Optimization and Compensation model (SOC) and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL). EF was indicated by attention shifting, inhibition, and working memory (WM). Only WM was related to ISR. Furthermore, ISR tended to uniquely predict Grade 6 outcomes, but the inverse was less true. In Grade 7, EF but not ISR uniquely predicted national test scores, and symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas ISR remained a stronger predictor of Positive Youth Development (PYD) and risk behavior. These findings suggest a limited relation between ISR and EF, and that ISR is important to the general well-being of youth, whereas EFs may play a role in the development of problems and academic achievement.