Response suppression, strategy application, and working memory in the prediction of academic performance and classroom misbehavior: A neuropsychological approach

Background: Neurological illness can produce a disorganization of behavior, including verbal disinhibition, despite apparent preserved intelligence. Neuropsychological tests of such behavioral control mechanisms may predict real-world performance of healthy people, such as success or misbehavior in educational contexts. Method: In two separate studies, we examined how the Hayling Test of verbal response suppression predicts grades and classroom misbehavior. Results: Verbal suppression errors and spontaneous strategy use were significant predictors of undergraduate grades. Using a modified version of the Hayling Test designed to reduce strategic responding with high school students (mean age 16), higher grades were predicted by shorter response suppression latencies and better working memory scores, and classroom misbehavior was predicted by lower working memory scores. Conclusion: Verbal response suppression and spontaneous strategy use, both closely linked to disorganized behavior in neuropsychological patients, predict academic achievement but seem unrelated to classroom misbehavior, which is associated with weakness in working memory.