Individual differences in effortful control, although due partly to heredity, are also associated with the quality of mother-child interactions. Warm, supportive parenting, rather than cold, directive parenting, appears to predict higher levels of effortful control.

What is effortful control in child development?

Effortful control is defined as a child's ability to utilize attentional resources and to inhibit behavioral responses in order to regulate emotions and related behaviors (Rothbart, Ahadi, & Hershey, 1994).

What part of the brain is most involved in effortful control?

The neurological structures involved in the development of effortful control appear to include the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which mediate voluntary executive control mechanisms (Thompson, Lewis, & Calkins, 2008).