MindTap Growth and Development Practice Test

Effortful control captures the ability to regulate one's behavior by inhibiting impulses and resisting distractions. It involves inhibitory control (stopping an automatic or impulsive response) and attentional control (focusing and sustaining attention despite competing stimuli). This combination lets a child delay gratification, follow rules, and stay on task even when things are tempting or noisy. For example, choosing to wait for a turn or to ignore a tempting toy in order to finish a task demonstrates this self-regulation. Other traits describe how strongly a person reacts or how easily they feel overwhelmed—things like general reactivity, moodiness, or sensitivity—without focusing on the deliberate control of impulses and attention that effortful control emphasizes.