Stronger executive function is concurrently associated with greater cognitive reappraisal and less expressive suppression in adolescents¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 1 review r3, 1 associational r2 · q2–q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · 1 of 2 entries checked against their sources (automated) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? EF components collectively explained 23% of unique variance in cognitive reappraisal beyond covariates but only 11% in expressive suppression, with better EF associated with less reliance on suppression. → Shi Guochun 2026

q2 i? In a self-report study of adolescents aged 12-18, better executive functions were associated with greater use of reappraisal, while reliance on suppression was associated with poorer executive functions including inhibitory control, problem solving and organisation skills. → Ahmed Saz P. 2015

Evidence¶

Shi Guochun 2026¶

Shi Guochun, Shi Zimo, Wang Qianqian. (2026). Cross-sectional bidirectional associations between executive function and emotion regulation in adolescents: the moderating role of digital engagement intensity. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05038-8

q3 · i2 · associational · r2

Structural equation modeling in a cross-sectional study of 368 adolescents aged 12–17, with EF and ER as latent variables indicated by behavioral tasks and self-reports. The article reports "the cross-sectional association between EF and cognitive reappraisal was robust (β = 0.42, p < .001)". Hierarchical regressions additionally showed EF explained 23% of reappraisal variance versus 11% for suppression.

"the cross-sectional association between EF and cognitive reappraisal was robust (β = 0.42, p < .001), and—consistent with H2—the reverse association from reappraisal to EF was also significant (β = 0.19, p = .002)"

Ahmed Saz P. 2015¶

Ahmed Saz P., Bittencourt-Hewitt Amanda, Sebastian Catherine L. (2015). Neurocognitive bases of emotion regulation development in adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6989808/

q2 · i? · review · r3

A self-report questionnaire study of adolescents aged 12-18 (N=70) cited by the review. The review reports reappraisal use was associated with better executive functions and suppression reliance with poorer functions, with no age-related differences in strategy use.

"Using self-report questionnaires, Lantrip et al. (2015) found that better executive functions were associated with greater use of reappraisal, while reliance on suppression was associated with poorer executive functions such as poorer inhibitory control, problem solving and organisation skills."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Self-Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Emotion regulation is positively associated with academic motivation among university students — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Emotion regulation is concurrently associated with executive performance in the reverse direction, with habitual suppression linked to diminished EF — related
• Inhibitory control is the strongest concurrent correlate of cognitive reappraisal among EF components — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Reappraisal ability shows linear and quadratic relationships with age, while self-reported emotional reactivity shows no age differences — related
• Instructed reappraisal success improves with age across ages 10-23, following linear and quadratic trends — related
• Digital use intensity attenuates the positive EF–reappraisal association, more pronouncedly on the EF→ER pathway than the reverse — related
• High-intensity digital users show lower EF and reappraisal than moderate and low users, suggesting a threshold rather than linear dose-response pattern — related
• Direct repression subdues outward emotional expression but is incomplete as a means of control and may damage the child — related