Impulsivity control at preschool children

Abstract

The research is carried out within the framework of the system-subject approach, and we consider the behavioral control as a regulative function of the subject. Since this approach links the processes of self-regulation with the emergence of subjectivity, and the concept of the subject implies, first of all, the individuality and activity of the person himself, the problem of the behavioral control's individual characteristics and their resources is emerged. Usually the studies of self-regulation in childhood pay more attention to age-related changes, and the individual development trajectories, the typology of self-regulation development is much less likely to fall into the focus of attention of researchers. The purpose of our study is to search for possible individual developmental trajectories of behavioral control at preschool age. The individual differences in the control of actions were of great interest for us. According to our assumptions in preschool age control of actions evolves into an arbitrary control and then into volitional control. We engaged 50 children to participate in our study. We used the following techniques to study behavioral control. 1) Cognitive control - the subtest "Vocabulary" and the verbal mental age calculated on its basis, as well as the subtest "Block design" and the non-verbal mental age calculated on its basis (WPPSI). 2) Control of actions - a series of tasks from the motor scale of the BSID-2 and the Ozeretsky scale (for 3- and 4-year-old children); tasks from the Ozeretsky scale and from the battery of neuropsychological examination by A.R. Luria (for 5-year-old children), as well as Day-Night task and gift delay task (all ages). 3) Emotional control - a test of childhood anxiety by Temml R., Dorca M. and Amen V. Children differed in control of actions, (namely, in impulse control) also were differed in other components of behavioral control. Also the interrelations among behavioral control's components had differences in these groups, especially in 4-year-old children. Impulsive children at the age of 4 and 5 years had a stronger relationship of the components of behavioral control than non-impulsive children. We assume that, it could be a consequence of the general lack of behavioral control; or the ability to impulsivity control is basic for behavioral control, and its lack influences on development of all components of behavioral control. Behavioral control in preschool age is a dynamic structure, where a control of actions plays a key role. It provides the development of arbitrariness and control of impulsivity, and its resource base changes with the age.