Over the past decades, a large number of studies have been conducted on inhibition, in which the term has been used to refer to various aspects of child functioning, ranging from behavioral inhibition to cognitive inhibition. The present systematic review aims to investigate the role of different inhibitory processes in predicting inhibition itself as well as other developmental domains.


Specifically, the review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021), considers multiple conceptualizations of inhibition assessed during the first five years of life in relation to children's development across multiple domains. A database search using predefined keyword strings, conducted in PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, and PubMed, initially identified 5,843 reports. After the removal of duplicates, 3,741 studies were retained for screening.


The eligibility criteria were: (1) empirical longitudinal studies published in English; (2) participants within the age range of interest; (3) typically developing children; and (4) inclusion of at least one measure of inhibition used to predict inhibition itself or outcomes in other domains. To date, 85.35% of the full texts have been screened, resulting in the inclusion of 487 records. Analyses of the full texts are currently underway, and the findings will be presented at the congress. The results will provide an analysis of the different conceptualizations of inhibition and its predictive role across developmental outcomes.