Merz, Emily Claire
(2012)
INHIBITORY CONTROL AND WORKING MEMORY IN CHILDREN ADOPTED FROM PSYCHOSOCIALLY DEPRIVING INSTITUTIONS.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Children adopted internationally from institutions at older ages who were exposed to early psychosocial deprivation may have deficits in executive functioning (EF) which are related to their increased risk of attention and academic difficulties. This study examined inhibitory control and working memory in 8- to 17-year-old children adopted from psychosocially depriving Russian institutions after 14 months of age (n=34) and those adopted before 9 months (n=39). Children completed inhibitory control and working memory tasks, while their parents completed questionnaires on child attention problems and use of learning support services in school. Children adopted after 14 months of age were found to perform poorly on inhibitory control and working memory tasks relative to children adopted before 9 months of age after controlling for age at assessment. Significant group differences were found for the stop-signal, go/no-go, and spatial span tasks but not the spatial working memory, backward digit recall, or flanker tasks. Children adopted after 14 months also had significantly lower IQ than those adopted before 9 months, and they performed poorly on the stop-signal and spatial span tasks compared to never-institutionalized children from previous studies. Spatial span and stop-signal task performance was associated with parent-rated hyperactivity-impulsivity but not with inattention or the use of learning support services. These findings suggest that exposure to early psychosocial deprivation may be linked with deficits in inhibitory control and spatial working memory that are associated with persistent attention problems. These results may inform studies of neural development and the selection of services for children exposed to early deprivation.
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| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 September 2012 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
7 June 2011 |
| Approval Date: |
27 September 2012 |
| Submission Date: |
30 July 2012 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
98 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
post-institutionalized children, inhibitory control, working memory, early deprivation, executive function |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Sep 2012 01:07 |
| Last Modified: |
19 Dec 2016 14:38 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13241 |
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