The relationship between social acceptance and inhibitory control ability in young learners

Social acceptance is an important aspect of interactions in young learners and may influence children’s emotional and cognitive development. Inhibitory control, which is a partial function of executive functioning, is essential for effective impulse control and self-regulation. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between social acceptance and inhibitory control in primary school children. In this study, the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System (D-KEFS) subscales for measuring inhibitory control (Delis et al., 2001) and the Self-perception Profile for Children (SPPC) subscale of the Social Acceptance Questionnaire (Babinčák et al., 2012) were used to measure the values of the variables. The sample consisted of randomly selected 141 children in their fourth year of primary school with a mean age of 9.4 years. Results showed a significant positive correlation between the level of social acceptance and inhibitory control. Specifically, children who felt more accepted by their peers showed higher impulse control and behavioral regulation. The findings revealed that the development of inhibitory control may contribute to better social acceptance and thus to positive cognitive and emotional development in students.