Longitudinal Changes in Self-Control and Midfrontal Theta During Incarceration and Release.
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.
Related
- Do Incarceration and Release Change How People Treat Those With a Criminal History? Longitudinal Behavioural and Neural Evidence.
- Longitudinal changes in control energy of brain networks in older adults at familial risk for Alzheimers disease
- Acute fentanyl induces opposing directions of changes in tonic and phasic dopamine release patterns and impairs Pavlovian task performance
- Nicotinic control of dopamine release shapes striatal output and engages adaptive action selection.
- Smart release biofumigant: temperature-regulated delivery of clove essential oils from diatom-based nanocarriers for store grain pest control
BibTeX
@misc{rambaud2026longitudinal,
title = {{Longitudinal Changes in Self-Control and Midfrontal Theta During Incarceration and Release.}},
author = {Victoria RAMBAUD and Ilke Veeckman and Louis Favril and Tom Vander Beken and Emilie Caspar},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/c62ae_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c62ae_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Longitudinal Changes in Self-Control and Midfrontal Theta During Incarceration and Release.
AU - Victoria RAMBAUD
AU - Ilke Veeckman
AU - Louis Favril
AU - Tom Vander Beken
AU - Emilie Caspar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/c62ae_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c62ae_v2/
AB - 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.
ER -