The role of reflection in promoting adolescent self-regulation

Executive function (EF)-the top-down, conscious control of thought, action, and emotion-has been found to be highly predictive of healthy adaptation in adolescence, when many individuals assume increased responsibility for setting and managing the pursuit of their personal goals. We use a developmental social cognitive neuroscience perspective to discuss EF and its relevance to adolescent selfregulation. Specifically, we argue that EF improves as a function of developmental increases in the ability to reflect consciously on one’s own perspective and its relation to a broader context of considerations, which in turn is achieved as neural circuits connecting relevant parts of the brain adapt to the environment and change as function of specific, repeated experiences. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this viewfor efforts to improve EF in childhood and thereby promote self-regulation in adolescence.