Research Article Greater Attention Problems During Childhood Predict Poorer Executive Functioning in Late Adolescence

ABSTRACT—Attention problems (behavior problems includ-ing inattention, disorganization, impulsivity, and hyperac-tivity) are widely thought to reflect deficits in executive functions (EFs). However, it is unclear whether attention problems differentially relate to distinct EFs and how developmental stability and change predict levels of EFs in late adolescence. We investigated, in an unselected sample, how teacher-rated attention problems from ages 7 to 14 years related to three correlated but separable EFs, mea-sured as latent variables at age 17. Attention problems at all ages significantly predicted later levels of response inhibition and working memory updating, and to some extent set shifting; the relation to inhibiting was stronger than the relations to the other EFs or IQ. Growth models indicated that attention problems were quite stable in this age range, and it was the initial levels of problems, rather than their changes across time, that predicted later EFs. These results support the hypothesis that attention problems primarily reflect difficulties with response inhibition. ‘‘Attention problems’ ’ is a broad term often used to describe a collection of behavioral problems that include inattentiveness, distractibility, poor concentration, impulsivity, and, in some cases, hyperactivity. Such problems appear to be an impor-tant dimension of many psychological, social, and cognitive problems. Individual differences in childhood and adolescent attention problems are nearly ubiquitous correlates of psycho-pathological symptoms in normal and clinical populations (e.g.