Self-control

Keeping kids on task in school may start at home

Feb 1, 2019

The transition to kindergarten can be a challenge for children who have trouble paying attention, and can result in behavioral problems and poor academic achievement. A team led by researchers at Penn State is analyzing task persistence and how parents can influence it in early childhood. Task…

Parents’ behavior during playtime may affect toddler’s weight later on

Aug 24, 2018

Parents who positively engage with their children during play time — and gently steer them to clean up afterward — may help toddlers with low-self regulation have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) later on as preschoolers. In a study, researchers found that toddlers who had poor self-regulation skills…

Self-control develops gradually in adolescent brain

Aug 15, 2018

Different parts of the brain mature at different times, which may help to explain impulsive behaviors in adolescence, suggest researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. The team discovered that the brain’s salience network, a group of regions that work together to help people…

Food for thought: How the brain reacts to food may be linked to overeating

Jul 19, 2018

The reason why some people find it so hard to resist finishing an entire bag of chips or bowl of candy may lie with how their brain responds to food rewards, leaving them more vulnerable to overeating. In a study with children, researchers found that when certain regions of the brain reacted more…