title: [Formula: see text]Executive functions and social information processing in adolescents with severe behavior problems.
abstract: One tradition in research for explaining aggression and antisocial behavior has focused on social information processing (SIP). Aggression and antisocial behavior have also been studied from the perspective of executive functions (EFs), the higher-order cognitive abilities that affect other cognitive processes, such as social cognitive processes. The main goal of the present study is to provide insight into the relation between EFs and SIP in adolescents with severe behavior problems. Because of the hierarchical relation between EFs and SIP, we examined EFs as predictors of SIP. We hypothesized that, first, focused attention predicts encoding and interpretation, second, inhibition predicts interpretation, response generation, evaluation, and selection, and third, working memory predicts response generation and selection. The participants consisted of 94 respondents living in residential facilities aged 12-20 years, all showing behavior problems in the clinical range according to care staff. EFs were assessed using subtests from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Test battery. Focused attention was measured by the Flanker task, inhibition by the GoNoGo task, and working memory by the Visual Spatial Sequencing task. SIP was measured by video vignettes and a structured interview. The results indicate that positive evaluation of aggressive responses is predicted by impaired inhibition and selection of aggressive responses by a combination of impaired focused attention and inhibition. It is concluded that different components of EFs as higher-order cognitive abilities affect SIP.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Nieuwenhuijzen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Van Rest
authors.affiliation: b Tranzo Scientific Center for Care and Welfare , Tilburg University , the Netherlands.|c Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology , Tilburg University , the Netherlands.|d Dichterbij Innovation and Science , Tilburg , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: P J C M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Embregts
authors.affiliation: e Academic Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , De Bascule , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vriens
authors.affiliation: f Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oostermeijer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Bokhoven
authors.affiliation: g Department of Child and Adolescent Studies , Utrecht University , the Netherlands.|h Department of Psychiatry , University Medical Center Utrecht , the Netherlands.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Matthys
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Executive functions; adolescents; aggression; antisocial behavior; social information processing