Reconciling Executive Function and Self-Regulation

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Background

Largely independent lines of research have established early Executive Function (EF) and Self-Regulation (SR) abilities as instrumental to wide-ranging developmental trajectories and later-life outcomes. Although specific definitions and delineations differ, EF are widely considered as the cognitive and attentional control capacities that maintain information in mind, resist impulses and distractions or maladaptive responses, and flexibly shift attention toward an identified goal. Similar diversity exists in relation to conceptualizations of SR, although definitions tend to emphasize its role in exerting control over manifest behaviors, emotions, and interactions. Despite the conceptual overlap between EF and SR, the extent, nature, mechanisms, and changes in their relationship across childhood remain debated.

That these constructs may be functionally synonymous is suggested by difficulty in delineating between EF and SR measures and outcomes, their similar
developmental trajectories, and the overlapping intervention principles and approaches that aim to impact on SR, EF, or both. It is also implied when
researchers use these terms interchangeably.

Yet theoretical delineations have also been proposed and are supported by the modest correlation between some EF and SR measures, as well as interventions that yield improvements in one but not the other ability (e.g., EF improvements without consequent SR improvement). Yet even where distinctions between EF and SR are drawn, their relation is acknowledged, although the extent and nature of their interaction remains under-evaluated.

Given the implications of early EF and SR abilities for current successes and future prospects, it is essential to understand how these abilities interact and
their shared or unique mechanisms of development to inform education, prevention, and intervention efforts.

This special issue will provide a forum for contemporary research, theory, and perspectives that aim to reconcile these constructs. For instance, areas of
likely interest in this topic include, but are not limited to:

• Do SR and EF differentially predict outcomes and/or in the mechanisms by which they influence outcomes?

• To what extent do SR and EF share a developmental course over time?

• How does the way we measure EF and SR impact our conceptualizations of the constructs and vice versa?

• What are current conceptions about the nature, mechanisms, and change in the relationship between EF and SR across childhood?

• How can we reconcile the various ways different disciplines construct SR, EF, and their independence/overlap?

• What do inter- and intra-individual differences in SR and EF across childhood tell us about these constructs and their overlap/independence?

• How can multidisciplinary perspectives and data collection approaches be combined to better understand SR and EF?

We invite researchers from different perspectives to present current understandings, recent advances, new insights, and promising directions in this area.
While this special issue will focus on childhood EF and SR (birth through age 12), diverse paper types (i.e., Original Research, Reviews, Perspective on promising directions) and Methods (e.g., experiments, neuroimaging, observation methods, etc.) are welcome and encouraged.

Keywords: executive function, self-regulation, self-control, child development, developmental psychology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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