The development of commitment: Attention for intention

Abstract

AbstractAdhering to a partially defined plan requires an intentional commitment that curbs distracting desires conflicting with the planned course of action, enabling humans to act coherently over time. Two studies (N = 50, 27 girls, ages 5–6, Han Chinese, in Hangzhou, China, 2022.02–2022.03) explored the development of commitment to partial plans in a sequential decision‐making task and the underlying cognitive capacity focusing on its correlation to attentional control. Results suggest that only 6‐year‐olds committed to partial plans (d = .51), and children's commitment ratio was positively correlated with the use of proactive control (r = .40). These findings indicate that intentional commitment does not develop simultaneously with intention understanding, but rather matures gradually with the development of attentional control.