Identifying Finnish Children’s Impulsivity Trajectories From Kindergarten to Grade 4: Associations With Academic and Socioemotional Development

摘要

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to identify the developmental trajectoriesof impulsive behavior among 378 Finnish children who were followed from kindergarten tofourth grade. In addition to ratings of children’s impulsivity, the analyses included measuresof motivation, cognitive skills, socio-emotional adjustment, and teacher–student relationship.Four latent groups were identified that differed in the level and change of the children’simpulsive behavior across time: first, a group with low impulsivity; second, a group withdecreasing impulsivity; third, a group with moderate impulsivity; and, fourth, a small groupwith a contradictory trajectory showing an upward trend in impulsivity. The “decreasing”group showed compromised behavioral regulation in kindergarten but not thereafter, and itwas the poorest performing group in reading. Both the “moderate” and “decreasing” groupsreceived negative ratings from their teachers with respect to socio-emotional adjustment andrelationships with the teacher. The “moderate” group predominantly included boys, whereasthe “low impulsivity” group had a higher ratio of girls. Practice or Policy: By linking thedifferent trajectories of impulse control development to children’s socio-emotionaladjustment and teacher–student relationships in a meaningful way, the findings highlight theimportance of behavioral regulation skills in the classroom.