As competition increases in every aspect of our daily lives, many parents and students leave no stone unturned in searching for the next big thing in academic success. Newer research articles have now shown links between a commonly forgotten and understudied cognitive skill: inhibitory control (IC). This function allows individuals to suppress irrelevant stimuli and intensely focus on a task. There are two specific articles of interest for this blog: one based on childhood development and one on college-aged students.
A study published under the title Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitory control in preschool in the prediction of children’s early academic skills explored potential connections between IC and young children’s academic success. Inhibitory control in early childhood is shown to “set the stage” to a certain extent and is a great indicator of a child’s early academic success. This study focused on the maturation of the frontal lobe using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. An EEG allows scientists to measure the electrical activity of the brain. Researchers took a sample of babies and followed up with them into early childhood. The data gathered by this study is quite interesting. Researchers found that increased alpha power in the critical age of ten months to four years old had a significant positive correlation with improved inhibitory control at age four.
The increased IC is significant due to its link with better academic outcomes in childhood, specifically in math and reading by age six. Essentially, IC has preliminary data showing its ability to indicate a child’s early academic success in addition to IC directly impacting a child’s ability to manage distractions, follow instructions, and stay on task when faced with complex problems. All of these skills are critical for academic success and increased alpha power, leading to increased IC helps develop these skills in young children. The implications are immense: the study suggests that increasing IC in young children could have a lasting impact on a child’s academic success. Additional research in this subtopic of neuroscience and with this specific study’s sample population could prove extremely fruitful to fully understand the lasting impact of IC on young children into adulthood.
Inhibitory control is impactful at a young as a marker for academic success. However, how does IC affect more adult populations? A second, recently published, study titled, Inhibitory control and academic achievement – a study of the relationship between Stroop Effect and university students’ academic performance, attempts to tackle this question exactly. It took a sample population of university students and examined their inhibitory control using a Stroop test, a common testing method for IC. One of the goals of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between IC and academic performance later in life. Unfortunately, the findings were a bit more nuanced than in young children. A weak correlation exists between a student’s Stroop test result and their grade point average (GPA). An initially unsatisfactory answer, however, the paper did notice a particular trend within their data.
A strong correlation exists between the number of errors made during the Stroop test and lower academic performance. This result implies that while IC itself may not be a direct indicator of academic success as one transitions into adulthood, conscientiousness and attention to detail rise in importance to increase academic success. The implication emphasizes one’s work habits, self-regulation, and environment as positive predictors of academic success. This study allows educators in teenage populations another data point indicating the increased importance of developing healthy study and working habits at a young age to perform better as they transition into adulthood.
The connection between these two studies is interesting and signifies the overall development of humans. As a child, the development of inhibitory control lays the groundwork for academic success. As one transitions into adulthood, academic success can be more reliably predicted through more specific, task-oriented behavior such as attention to detail and ability to focus. The larger societal impacts of these two studies also stand out: at a younger age incentives to develop basic inhibitory control are critical. As a student reaches high school and transitions into early adulthood, an increased emphasis on fostering conscientiousness and focused engagement grows in importance compared to traditional inhibitory control development. Ultimately, these two studies provide a small peek into the ever-developing world of neuroscience and the importance of research to continue developing the best practices for humans in the future!
References
Dvorak, M. Inhibitory control and academic achievement – a study of the relationship
between Stroop Effect and university students’ academic performance. BMC
Psychol 12, 498 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01984-3
Whedon, M., Perry, N. B., & Bell, M. A. (n.d.). Relations between frontal EEG maturation and
inhibitory control in preschool in the prediction of children’s early academic skills. Brain
and Cognition, 146, 105636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105636
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