Abstract
ABSTRACTAcademic diligence is the ability to regulate behavior in the service of goals, and a predictor of educational attainment. Here we combined behavioral, structural MRI, functional MRI and connectivity data to investigate the neurocognitive correlates of diligence. We assessed whether individual differences in diligence are related to the interplay between frontal control and striatal reward systems, as predicted by the dual-systems hypothesis of adolescent development. We obtained behavioral measures of diligence from 40 adolescent girls (aged 14-15 years) using the Academic Diligence Task. We collected structural imaging data for each participant, as well as functional imaging data during an emotional go-no-go self-control task. As predicted by the dual-systems hypothesis, we found that inferior frontal activation and gyrification correlated with academic diligence. However, neither striatal activation nor structure, nor fronto-striatal connectivity, showed clear associations with diligence. Instead, we found prominent activation of temporal areas during the go-no-go task. This suggests that academic diligence is associated with an extended network of brain regions.
Highlights
Academic diligence is the ability to regulate behavior in the service of goals, and a predictor of educational attainment
The current study investigated the neurocognitive correlates of academic diligence, a predictor of educational attainment, in adolescent girls
While there was a link between diligence and inferior frontal activation and gyrification, there was no association between diligence and striatal structure and function, or diligence and fronto-striatal connectivity
Summary
Academic diligence is the ability to regulate behavior in the service of goals, and a predictor of educational attainment. The drive to seek novel and rewarding experiences is thought to develop nonlinearly and peak in adolescence (Steinberg et al., 2017) This ‘imbalance’ between self-control and reward-sensitivity during adolescence has been proposed to originate in the relatively early maturation of the subcortical reward system combined with a slower and more protracted development of frontal control systems (Casey et al, 2008; Steinberg, 2008). Somerville and colleagues (2011) used an emotional go-no-go task as a measure of selfcontrol and showed that inferior frontal activation and connectivity correlated with response inhibition in children, adolescents and adults. This development of inhibitory control was taken as evidence that adolescents find it harder than other age groups to resist responding to rewarding social cues (Somerville, Hare, & Casey, 2011)
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