MODEL

Literacy 7-12

Systems Change

Inhibition

Factor Connections

Hover to see how factors connect to Inhibition. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.

Inhibition, a component of executive functioning, is the ability to suppress attention to irrelevant input and to focus on pertinent stimuli or information. Students use these skills to successfully attend to lessons in the classroom and to filter out irrelevant information when reading and integrating information in texts. Inhibition is essential for Self-Regulation, allowing students to monitor and suppress inappropriate tendencies and behaviors. By helping students control both their focus and their behavior, Inhibition can support language, Composition, and Reading Fluency. Some students, including those with ADHD or learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, may have more difficulty using inhibitory control to support their focus and learning, particularly in reading and math.

Main Ideas

Inhibition begins to develop around age three to four and continues to develop through adolescence. Inhibition occurs at the behavioral level, where responses are controlled, and the cognitive level, where Attention is focused on relevant information. However, it can be difficult to tease these apart since cognitive Inhibition promotes behavioral Inhibition.

While the executive functions Inhibition and Working Memory are very much related processes and show similar developmental trajectories in childhood, they become more distinct processes as the brain networks involved in these processes become more specialized during adolescence.

Learn More

View Measures and References