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5 - Genetic and Experiential Factors in Brain Development

The Examples of Executive Attention and Self-regulation

from Part I - Neurobiological Constraints and Laws of Cognitive Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2022

By
Michael I. Posner  and
Mary K. Rothbart
Edited by
Olivier Houdé  and
Grégoire Borst
Olivier Houdé
Affiliation:
Université de Paris V
Grégoire Borst
Affiliation:
Université de Paris V
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Summary

Executive attention is a brain network that includes the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the anterior insula and adjacent areas of the mid-prefrontal cortex and underlying striatum. In adult studies it is often activated by requiring a person to withhold a dominant response in order to perform a subdominant response (Posner & Rothbart, 2007a, 2007b). The ability to control our thoughts, feelings, and behavior develops over time and is called self-regulation. The self-regulatory view fits well with evidence of brain activation, functional and structural connectivity, and individual differences. Moreover, the self-regulatory view helps us understand how brain networks relate to important real-life functions and provides a perspective on how the shift takes place between infancy, where regulation is chiefly under the control of the caregiver, and later life, where self-control is increasingly important.

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The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Development , pp. 105 - 121
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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