The concepts of executive function (EF) and effortful control (EC) are strikingly similar. EF originate from neurocognitive research and are described as an accumulation of cognitive processes that serve the goal-oriented self-regulation (SR) of an individual. EC originates from temperament research and is defined as the efficiency of executive attention, including the ability to inhibit a dominant response, to activate a subdominant response, to proceed in a planned manner and to recognize conflicts or errors. The aim of this article was to examine the association between the constructs of EF and EC at the preschool-age. Eighty-eight children (49 female; M-age = 3.93 years, SD = .78) were tested with a computerized battery designed to assess EF at 3–6 years of age (EF Touch). Children's parents completed questionnaires assessing EF impairments (BRIEF-P) and EC (CBQ). Associations between the constructs and their conceptual overlap were analyzed using correlations and confirmatory factor analyses. We found significant correlations between EF and EC measures. A one-factor confirmatory model fitted the data very well and indicated that EF and EC are indeed overlapping and highly similar constructs. Therefore, our results show that measures of EC and EF have substantial overlap in preschoolers and suggest an integrated model of self-regulation.

中文翻译：

---

学前班的自我调节：执行功能和努力控制是否重叠？

执行功能 (EF) 和努力控制 (EC) 的概念惊人地相似。EF 起源于神经认知研究，被描述为服务于个体目标导向自我调节 (SR) 的认知过程的积累。EC起源于气质研究，被定义为执行注意力的效率，包括抑制主导反应、激活次主导反应、按计划进行以及识别冲突或错误的能力。本文的目的是检查学龄前儿童 EF 和 EC 结构之间的关联。八十八名儿童（49 名女性；M岁 = 3.93 岁，SD = .78) 使用设计用于评估 3-6 岁 EF (EF Touch) 的计算机化电池进行测试。儿童的父母完成了评估 EF 损伤 (BRIEF-P) 和 EC (CBQ) 的问卷。使用相关性和验证性因素分析分析了结构与其概念重叠之间的关联。我们发现 EF 和 EC 措施之间存在显着相关性。单因素验证模型非常适合数据，表明 EF 和 EC 确实是重叠且高度相似的构造。因此，我们的结果表明，EC 和 EF 的测量在学龄前儿童中有很大的重叠，并提出了一个综合的自我调节模型。