1/ I've long wondered why executive function in childhood predicts life outcomes. Why does juggling information in mind, shifting between tasks, and controlling our impulses matter so much? I'm increasingly convinced that our early answers missed something fundamental. #PsychSciSky#DevPsychSky

Interesting question. I’m a clinician, not a researcher, and I’ve become more and more convinced over the years that executive function and emotional regulation are right up there with intelligence as the big predictors of outcomes.

Thank you for this thread, which gives me some really excellent material for issues I've been thinking about wrt how people make claims about people's cognition and potential in my own area (software dev!). Really really appreciate it. 🥰

2/ Early answers (including mine) focused on executive function CAPACITY: Some of us have a little, some of us have a lot. These individual differences stick with us and affect our ability to navigate school, relationships, work, health, and more.

It also controls your emotional regulation. I don’t see how I would do anything but that with how much people need you to have self control