Predictive Influence of Executive Functions, Effortful Control, Empathy, and Social Behavior on the Academic Performance in Early Adolescents

In this study, we explored the predictive role of behavioral measures of Executive Functions (EFs) and a self-report measure of Effortful Control (EC) on the academic performance of early adolescents. We also analyzed the mediating role of self-reported empathy and social behavior rated by peers (i.e., prosocial behavior and social preference) and by the lead teacher (i.e., social competence). A sample of 244 adolescents aged between 12 and 13 years participated in the study. The resulting structural equation model indicated that EFs and EC predict academic performance in a complementary and independent way. Results also confirmed the mediating role of empathy and social behavior. The final model explained 64% of academic performance. We discuss the appropriateness of obtaining complementary measures of EFs and EC in predictions of academic performance as well as the importance of introducing activities involving self-regulation, empathy, and socioemotional skills in the school setting

Cognition · Developmental psychology · Empathy · Executive functions · Prosocial behavior · Self-control · Social change · Social competence · Social skills · Socioemotional selectivity theory · Structural equation modeling · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Psychology · Social Psychology

• The Associations Between Temperament and Learning

  Open Access•Sara Mascheretti, Nadin Stereva et al.•Educational Psychology Review•2026

  Incluir item

• Family Cohesion and Stress Consequences Among Chinese College Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

  Open Access•Yadi Zeng, Baojuan Ye et al.•Frontiers in Public Health•2021

  Incluir item

• Learning Motivation, Socioemotional Skills and School Achievement in Elementary School Students

  Open Access•Leilane Henriette Barreto Chiappetta-Santana, Ana Deyvis Santos Araújo Jesuíno…•Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto•2022

  Incluir item

• Temperament and Academic Achievement in Children

  Open Access•Dalia Nasvytienė, Tomas Lazdauskas•European Journal of Investigation…•2021

  Incluir item

• The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students

  Open Access•Pablo Usán Supervía, Reina Castellanos Vega et al.•SAGE Open•2025

  Incluir item

• Effects of Psychophysiological Reactivity to a School-Related Stressor and Temperament on Early Adolescents’ Academic Performance

  Open Access•Sara Scrimin, Ughetta Moscardino et al.•The Journal of Early Adolescence•2018

  Incluir item

• Interplay among gender, self-management, and mathematics performance amid student mobility

  Hana Kang•Research Papers in Education•2025

  Incluir item

• Empathy, self-esteem and satisfaction with life in adolescent

  Open Access•Pablo Usán Supervía, Carlos Salavera Bordás et al.•Children and Youth Services Review•2023

  Incluir item

• Handbook of Social Influences in School Contexts

  Kathryn R Wentzel, Kathryn Wentzel et al.•Handbook of Social Influences in…•2016

  Incluir item

• Commonalities and Differences in the Research on Children’s Effortful Control and Executive Function

  Open Access•Q Zhou, Stephen H Chen et al.•Child Development Perspectives•2012

  Incluir item

• Executive Functioning as a Predictor of Children's Mathematics Ability

  Ray Bull, Rebecca Bull et al.•Developmental Neuropsychology•2001

  Incluir item

• The activation of attentional networks

  Open Access•Jintu Fan, Bruce D Mccandli et al.•NeuroImage•2005

  Incluir item

• Relating Effortful Control, Executive Function, and False Belief Understanding to Emerging Math and Literacy Ability in Kindergarten

  Open Access•Clancy Blair, Rachel A Razza et al.•Child Development•2007

  Incluir item

• Temperament, Development, and Personality

  Open Access•Mary K Rothbart•Current Directions in Psychological…•2007

  Incluir item

• Prediction of children's academic competence from their effortful control, relationships, and classroom participation.

  Carlos Valiente, Kathryn Lemery‐chalfant et al.•Journal of Educational Psychology•2008

  Incluir item

• Emotion regulation from early adolescence to emerging adulthood and middle adulthood

  Open Access•Peter Zimmermann, Alexandra Iwanski•International Journal of…•2014

  Incluir item

• Cognitive and affective development in adolescence

  Open Access•Laurence Steinberg•Trends in Cognitive Sciences•2005

  Incluir item

• Continuity, Stability, and Change in Daily Emotional Experience across Adolescence

  Open Access•Reed W Larson, Reed Larson et al.•Child Development•2002

  Incluir item

• Dissecting the Neural Mechanisms Mediating Empathy

  Open Access•Jean Decety•Emotion Review•2011

  Incluir item

• The episodic buffer

  Open Access•Alan Baddeley•Trends in Cognitive Sciences•2000

  Incluir item

• Construct validity of the Trail Making Test

  Open Access•Ignacio Sánchez-Cubillo, Jose Antonio Periáñez et al.•Journal of the International…•2009

  Incluir item

• The Development of Executive Attention

  M Rosario Rueda, Michael I Posner et al.•Developmental Neuropsychology•2005

  Incluir item

• Empathic Responding

  Nancy Eisenberg, Natalie D Eggum•The social neuroscience of empathy•2009

  Incluir item

• Training, maturation, and genetic influences on the development of executive attention

  Open Access•M Rosario Rueda, Mary K Rothbart et al.•Proceedings of the National…•2005

  Incluir item

• Attention to Action

  Open Access•Derek A Norman, Donald A Norman et al.•Consciousness and Self-Regulation•1986

  Incluir item

• Self-Regulation and School Readiness

  Nancy Eisenberg, Carlos Valiente et al.•Early Education and Development•2010

  Incluir item

• Emotion-Related Self-Regulation and Its Relation to Children's Maladjustment

  Nancy Eisenberg, Tracy L Spinrad et al.•Annual Review of Clinical…•2010

  Incluir item

• The dual systems model

  Open Access•Elizabeth P Shulman, Ashley R Smith et al.•Developmental Cognitive…•2016

  Incluir item

• Reconsidering Changes in Parent-Child Conflict across Adolescence

  Open Access•Brett Laursen, KATHERINE C COY et al.•Child Development•1998

  Incluir item

• Emotion and Emotion Regulation

  Open Access•Ross A Thompson•Emotion Review•2011

  Incluir item

• Relations between executive function and academic achievement from ages 5 to 17 in a large, representative national sample

  Open Access•John R Best, Patricia H Miller et al.•Learning and Individual Differences•2011

  Incluir item

• Assessment of Hot and Cool Executive Function in Young Children

  Donaya Hongwanishkul, Keith Happaney et al.•Developmental Neuropsychology•2005

  Incluir item

• A new look at the statistical model identification

  Open Access•Hirotugu Akaike•IEEE Transactions on Automatic…•1974

  Incluir item

• Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models

  Open Access•Kristopher J Preacher, Andrew F Hayes•Behavior Research Methods•2008

  Incluir item

• Executive Functions

  Adele Diamond•Annual Review of Psychology•2013

  Incluir item

• Executive functions after age 5

  Open Access•John R Best, Patricia H Miller et al.•Developmental Review•2009

  Incluir item

• Developing Mechanisms of Temperamental Effortful Control

  Open Access•Mary K Rothbart, Lesa Ellis et al.•Journal of Personality•2003

  Incluir item

• Children's peer relations

  Andrew F Newcomb, William M Bukowski et al.•Psychological Bulletin•1993

  Incluir item

• Integrating and differentiating aspects of self-regulation

  David J Bridgett, Kate B Oddi et al.•Emotion•2012

  Incluir item

• Child effortful control, teacher–student relationships, and achievement in academically at-risk children

  Open Access•Jeffrey Liew, Qi Chen et al.•Early Childhood Research Quarterly•2009

  Incluir item

• Effortful control and early academic achievement of Chinese American children in immigrant families

  Open Access•Stephen H Chen, Alexandra Main et al.•Early Childhood Research Quarterly•2014

  Incluir item

• Effortful Control and Impulsivity as Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictors of Academic Achievement

  Open Access•Carlos Valiente, Nancy Eisenberg et al.•The Journal of Early Adolescence•2013

  Incluir item

• Sociometric Status and Adjustment in Middle School

  Open Access•Kathryn R Wentzel•The Journal of Early Adolescence•2003

  Incluir item

• Social Anxiety and Aggression in Early Adolescents

  Open Access•Milena Batanova, Milena D Batanova et al.•Journal of Youth and Adolescence•2011

  Incluir item

• The Relations of Problem Behavior Status to Children's Negative Emotionality, Effortful Control, and Impulsivity

  Nancy Eisenberg, Adrienne Sadovsky et al.•Developmental Psychology•2005

  Incluir item

• Children's perceptions of popular and unpopular peers

  Kathryn M Lafontana, Antonius H N Cillessen•Developmental Psychology•2002

  Incluir item

• Prediction of Children's Empathy-Related Responding From Their Effortful Control and Parents' Expressivity

  Carlos Valiente, Nancy Eisenberg et al.•Developmental Psychology•2004

  Incluir item

• The Unity and Diversity of Executive Functions and Their Contributions to Complex “Frontal Lobe” Tasks

  Open Access•Akira Miyake, Naomi P Friedman et al.•Cognitive Psychology•2000

  Incluir item

• Arousal, affect, and attention as components of temperament

  Douglas Derryberry, Mary K Rothbart•Journal of Personality and Social…•1988

  Incluir item

• The development of executive functions and early mathematics

  Open Access•Sanne H G Van Der Ven, Evelyn H Kroesbergen et al.•British Journal of Educational…•2012

  Incluir item