Racial Representation, Cognitive Inhibition, and ADHD: Emotional Regulation in Adolescents

 Racial Representation, Cognitive Inhibition, and ADHD: Emotional Regulation in Adolescents

Cognitive and emotional regulation are important in understanding the challenges at hand of adolescence, where things such as frustrations and environmental factors can influence performance and behavior. These factors are especially important in understanding how early neuropsychological issues shape later outcomes in terms of academic achievement and behavioral health. 

 

In a study by Hudac et al. (2022), the authors explore how cognitive inhibition is affected by frustration in adolescent athletes. Using mobile EEG technology, the study focuses on how frustration impairs cognitive functioning in athletes, specifically in moments of stress or underperformance. They found that adolescents, particularly those experiencing frustration, showed significant difficulty with cognitive inhibition, a core component of executive function. The study discusses how emotional triggers, such as frustration, worsen deficits in cognitive abilities like inhibition, which are essential for regulating behavior and making decisions. Particularly, the study also introduces the influence of racial representation in sports, showing that underrepresented athletes may experience heightened emotional regulation problems because of the lack of diverse role models in their field. These findings suggest that frustration in sports settings not only impairs cognitive performance but may also have more pronounced effects for individuals who lack representation in their field.

            

The interaction that occurs between cognitive inhibition and emotional regulation is further explored in a study by Sjöwall et al. (2017), which investigates how early neuropsychological deficits predict ADHD symptoms and academic achievement in later adolescence. The research found that deficits in cognitive functions such as inhibition and emotional regulation in preschool children are strong predictors of ADHD symptoms and academic struggles during adolescence. These findings are especially significant when considering Hudac et al.’s (2022) results, which suggest that frustration exacerbates cognitive inhibition difficulties. For children with early neuropsychological deficits, these emotional and cognitive challenges are likely to build up over time, which contributes to the development of ADHD symptoms and academic underachievement, as shown by Sjöwall et al. (2017). The connection found between early inhibition deficits and long-term ADHD symptoms supports the idea from the authors that emotional regulation difficulties, whether being due to frustration, lack of representation, or other external factors, can significantly affect academic and behavioral outcomes.

 

Considering these points, the studies highlight the importance of addressing emotional regulation and cognitive inhibition early in life. Hudac et al. (2022) provide an insightful perspective on how frustration, specifically in underrepresented groups, can harm cognitive performance, while Sjöwall et al. (2017) show that early deficits in these same cognitive functions predict long-term academic and behavioral challenges. Both of the studies emphasize the significant role of emotional regulation in cognitive functioning, saying that interventions that are aimed at improving emotional control and supporting diverse representation could help moderate the development of ADHD symptoms and improve academic outcomes.

 

 

References

Hudac, C. M., Wallace, J. S., Ward, V. R., Friedman, N. R., Delfin, D., & Newman, S. D. (2022). Dynamic cognitive inhibition in the context of frustration: Increasing racial representation of adolescent athletes using mobile community-engaged EEG methods. Frontiers in Neurology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2022.918075

Sjöwall, D., Bohlin, G., Rydell, A.-M., & Thorell, L. B. (2017). Neuropsychological deficits in preschool as predictors of ADHD symptoms and academic achievement in late adolescence. Child Neuropsychology, 23(1), 111–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2015.1063595