The Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task
Holmboe K., Larkman C., de Klerk C., Simpson A., Christodoulou C., Dvergsdal H.
<p>Research into the earliest development of inhibitory control (IC) is limited by a lack of suitable tasks. The present study (N = 300) validated the new Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task (ECITT), in which participants have to overcome a tendency to respond to a frequently rewarded location. Inhibitory performance on the ECITT improved significantly between 24 and 30 months of age. Furthermore, inhibitory performance on a faster-paced version showed a similar life-span developmental course (4 – 84 years) to other IC tasks, and was significantly correlated with Stop-Signal performance. Effects were replicated outside a lab setting. Not only does the ECITT measure inhibitory control across childhood and adulthood, it also extends the assessment of this key cognitive function into toddlerhood.</p>