{
  "abstract": "Self-control (SC), the ability to resist impulses and initiate goal-directed behaviour, is central to criminal behaviour and rehabilitation. However, it remains unclear whether incarceration impacts SC. In this pre-registered longitudinal study, newly-detained (incoming, n = 67), and newly-released individuals (outgoing, n = 25), along with community controls (n = 40) completed a cognitive task measuring SC with electroencephalography. Frontal theta activity was recorded as a marker of cognitive control. Participants were reassessed after four months, and incarcerated groups after eight additional months. Perceptions of prison environment and post-release quality of life were collected using validated questionnaires. Behaviourally, SC remained stable in the incoming group, whereas controls declined over time. The outgoing group showed a selective decline in initiatory SC following release. Across groups, inhibitory SC was lower than initiatory SC, indicating greater difficulty resisting impulses. At the neural level, the incoming group exhibited reduced theta activity, reflecting automatization, while theta remained stable in the other groups. SC was primarily associated with individual characteristics, whereas environmental factors showed delayed effects. While incarceration appears to preserve or automatize SC, release selectively challenges initiatory SC. Behaviourally and neurally, SC appears primarily shaped by individual factors, with environmental influences emerging more gradually over time.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Victoria RAMBAUD"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ilke Veeckman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Louis Favril"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tom Vander Beken"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emilie Caspar"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9pqh5ndsq4e1t.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/c62ae_v2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9pqh5ndsq4e1t",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c62ae_v2/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Behavioral Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Cognitive Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Correctional"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Forensic and Legal Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social Cognition"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Behavioral Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Personality Psychology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/c62ae/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-08",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9pqh5ndsq4e1t.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:48Z",
      "native_id": "c62ae",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c62ae_v2/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "bepress:Cognitive Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Longitudinal Changes in Self-Control and Midfrontal Theta During Incarceration and Release.",
  "title_text": "Longitudinal Changes in Self-Control and Midfrontal Theta During Incarceration and Release.",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:48Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9pqh5ndsq4e1t",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}