EXECUTIVE AND MOTIVATIONAL CONTROL OF PERFORMANCE TASK BEHAVIOR, AND AUTONOMIC HEART-RATE REGULATION IN CHILDREN - PHYSIOLOGICAL VALIDATIONOF 2-FACTOR SOLUTION INHIBITORY CONTROL

Forty-two (42) children (mean age 10.6 years) from mainstream public ( N = 22) and therapeutic schools (N = 20) completed performance tasks a ssessing executive and motivational influences on motor responses. In a separate protocol, children underwent physiologic challenges of pace d breathing and supine to standing postural change, while heart rate w as continuously monitored. Executive control was associated with vagal modulation of respiratory driven, high-frequency heart-rate variabili ty (t = 2.20, p < .03), whereas motivational control was associated wi th sympathetic modulation of posturally driven, low-frequency heart-ra te variability (t = -2.22,p < .03). These findings supported a two-fac tor solution of inhibitory control derived in a previous study.