Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul;39(5):463-471.
doi: 10.1037/neu0001007. Epub 2025 Mar 3.

Cold executive functions moderate the relationship between hot executive function and externalizing behavior in adolescents and adults

Olivia Choy  1
Affiliations

Cold executive functions moderate the relationship between hot executive function and externalizing behavior in adolescents and adults

Olivia Choy. Neuropsychology. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Although deficits in executive functions (EFs) have been shown to characterize individuals who exhibit externalizing behavior problems, few studies have differentiated between the influence of hot and cold EF on externalizing behavior. This study tests whether there is an interaction between performance on assessments of cold and hot EF in relation to externalizing behavior in a community sample of adolescents and adults.

Method: Analyses were conducted on 396 adolescents (Mage = 14.81 years) and 393 of their parents (Mage = 45.39 years). Cold and hot EFs were assessed in both groups using a battery of neuropsychological tests, alongside externalizing behavior in both adolescents and their parents using a variety of self-report and parent-report questionnaires.

Results: A significant Hot EF × Cold EF interaction was found in both samples, such that adolescents and adults with increased risk taking on a hot EF task, but higher cold EF scores exhibited lower levels of externalizing behavior. Adults with reduced performance on both hot and cold EF tasks exhibited the highest levels of externalizing behavior.

Conclusions: Both hot and cold EFs contribute to the propensity for externalizing behavior. Results show that in the presence of increased risky decision making, which is a domain of hot EF, higher cold EF acts as a protective factor against externalizing behavior. Notably, this is observed in both adolescents and adults. Findings point to the possibility of targeting deficits in cold EF in interventions to reduce externalizing behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Achenbach T, & Rescorla L (2001). Manual for the ASEBA School–Age Forms & Profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.
    1. Achenbach T, Rescorla L, & Ivanova M (2015). Guide to family assessment using the ASEBA. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.
    1. Achenbach TM, Dumenci L, & Rescorla L (2003). Ratings of relations between DSM-IV diagnostic categories and items of the Adult Self-Report (ASR) and Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL). Research Center for Children, Youth and Families.
    1. Aiken LS & West SG (1991).Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
    1. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

LinkOut - more resources