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Preschool Neuropsychological Predictors of School-aged Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Inattentive Behaviors

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Abstract

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is characterized by excessive daydreaming, slowed thinking, and mental confusion and ‘fogginess’. A growing body of research supports the empirical differentiation of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) from the inattentive (IN) behaviors that characterize attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Further SCT and IN are uniquely associated with clinical correlates across academic, social, and emotional domains; however, there is limited understanding of how neuropsychological functioning contributes to SCT and/or IN behaviors. The two broad domains of neuropsychological functioning that have been most frequently examined in relation to SCT behaviors are processing speed and executive functions (EF). The present study tested whether EF and processing speed measured when children were on average age five years were predictive of teacher-rated IN and SCT behaviors in 1st – 3rd grades. Participants included 1,022 children from the Family Life Project, an ongoing prospective longitudinal study of child development in low-income, non-metropolitan communities. EF and processing speed uniquely made independent contributions to the prediction of IN and SCT. In secondary analyses that focused on specific facets of EF and processing speed, inhibitory control and working memory abilities predicted lower IN but not SCT behaviors, whereas slower processing speed significantly predicted both greater SCT and IN behaviors. These results are discussed as they inform developmental models of SCT and IN.

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Acknowledgements

This study made use of Phase I and Phase II data from Family Life Project. The Family Life Project was funded by NICHD(P01HD039667) with co-funding from National Institute on Drug Abuse, and more recently from the National institute of Health’s Environmental Influence on Child Health Outcomes Program (1UG3OD023332-01). The Family Life Project Phase I Key Investigators include: Lynne Vernon-Feagans, The University of North Carolina; Martha Cox, The University of North Carolina; Clancy Blair, The Pennsylvania State University; Peg Burchinal, The University of North Carolina; Linda Burton, Duke University; Keith Crnic, The Arizona State University; Ann Crouter, The Pennsylvania State University; Patricia Garrett-Peters, The University of North Carolina; Mark Greenberg, The Pennsylvania State University; Stephanie Lanza, The Pennsylvania State University; Roger Mills-Koonce, The University of North Carolina; Emily Werner, The Pennsylvania State University and Michael Willoughby, The University of North Carolina. The Family Life Project Phase II Key Investigators include: Lynne Vernon-Feagans, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Mark T. Greenberg, The Pennsylvania State University Clancy B. Blair, New York University ; Margaret R. Burchinal, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Martha Cox, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Patricia T. Garrett-Peters, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jennifer L. Frank, The Pennsylvania State University; W. Roger Mills-Koonce, University of North Carolina-Greensboro; Michael T. Willoughby, RTI International. Stephen Becker is supported by award number K23MH108603 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Melissa Dvorsky is supported by award number K23MH122839 from the NIMH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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  1. Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stephen P. Becker & Leanne Tamm

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stephen P. Becker & Leanne Tamm

  3. Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Melissa R. Dvorsky

  4. Education and Workforce Development, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Michael T. Willoughby

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Becker, S.P., Dvorsky, M.R., Tamm, L. et al. Preschool Neuropsychological Predictors of School-aged Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Inattentive Behaviors. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 49, 197–210 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00728-2

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