Journal article
Measuring the development of inhibitory control: The challenge of heterotypic continuity
Developmental review, Vol.40, pp.25-71
06/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2016.02.001
PMCID: PMC4917209
PMID: 27346906
Abstract
•The construct of inhibitory control changes with development (heterotypic continuity).•Task measures of inhibitory control were useful, on average, for less than 3 years.•Measuring inhibitory control over longer spans may require changing measures over time.•We recommend using overlapping measurement in SEM to test factorial invariance.•It is necessary to consider construct validity as well as factorial invariance.
Inhibitory control is thought to demonstrate heterotypic continuity, in other words, continuity in its purpose or function but changes in its behavioral manifestation over time. This creates major methodological challenges for studying the development of inhibitory control in childhood including construct validity, developmental appropriateness and sensitivity of measures, and longitudinal factorial invariance. We meta-analyzed 198 studies using measures of inhibitory control, a key aspect of self-regulation, to estimate age ranges of usefulness for each measure. The inhibitory control measures showed limited age ranges of usefulness owing to ceiling/floor effects. Tasks were useful, on average, for a developmental span of less than 3 years. This suggests that measuring inhibitory control over longer spans of development may require use of different measures at different time points, seeking to measure heterotypic continuity. We suggest ways to study the development of inhibitory control, with overlapping measurement in a structural equation modeling framework and tests of longitudinal factorial or measurement invariance. However, as valuable as this would be for the area, we also point out that establishing longitudinal factorial invariance is neither sufficient nor necessary for examining developmental change. Any study of developmental change should be guided by theory and construct validity, aiming toward a better empirical and theoretical approach to the selection and combination of measures.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Measuring the development of inhibitory control: The challenge of heterotypic continuity
- Creators
- Isaac T Petersen - Indiana University, USACaroline P Hoyniak - Indiana University, USAMaureen E McQuillan - Indiana University, USAJohn E Bates - Indiana University, USAAngela D Staples - Eastern Michigan University, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Developmental review, Vol.40, pp.25-71
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.dr.2016.02.001
- PMID
- 27346906
- PMCID
- PMC4917209
- NLM abbreviation
- Dev Rev
- ISSN
- 0273-2297
- eISSN
- 1090-2406
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- HD073202 / Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000071) Indiana University (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100006733) MH099437; 1 F31 MH100814-01A1 / National Institute of Mental Health (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000025) TL1 TR000162 / National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Clinical and Translational Sciences Award (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/2016
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984065476902771
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