Response Inhibition, Executive Planning and Working Memory among Runaway Girls Compared to Normal Controls in Tehran

Document Type : Empirical Studies

Authors

1 University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

2 Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch, Tehran, Iran.

3 Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

Abstract

Adolescence is one of the most critical developmental stages associated with several behavioral conflicts and crises. This study was aimed at comparing the executive functions of runaway girls and normal ones. The research design was descriptive and expos facto. The target population of the present study was all the runaway girls living in the houses provided by the Welfare Organization in Tehran and normal girls that match with them. Fifty subjects (25 runways girls and 25 normal girls) were sampled out of the population through the convenience method and inclusion-exclusion criteria. The research tools included Wechsler’s Digit Span Subtest, Stroop Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WSCT), and Raven’s Progressive Matrices. The data was analyzed by applying MANCOVA. The results showed a significant difference between the factors of inhibition response, executive planning, and working memory functions, controlling the intelligence quotient of the runaway girls with high-risk behaviors and those of the normal ones. The deficit in adolescents’ executive functions has an essential role in developing risky behaviors.

Keywords


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