Utilization deficiencies in children when considering the role of self-regulation: Do they constitute a developmental stage or a differential specific pattern?

A utilization deficiency occurs when the production of an appropriate cognitive strategy does not bring about the expected benefits. How is this to be explained in children? We propose a synthesis of two decades of research. Miller’s (1990) and Siegler’s (1996) models of strategy acquisition serve as a theoretical framework, in order to discuss the status of self-regulation in utilization deficiencies. Indeed, self-regulation should allow children to replace inefficient strategies with efficient ones. And yet, surprisingly, utilization deficiencies have frequently been observed in self-regulated children. We propose to reconsider the nature of the self-regulation processes implicated in utilization deficiency, focusing on executive functions considered as the specifically cognitive dimension of self-regulation (Chevalier, 2010). Executive impairments may be implicated in utilization deficiencies, especially low working memory capacity: utilization deficiencies should no longer be investigated as a developmental but rather as a differential phenomenon, in accordance with recent results from Schneider, Kron-Sperl, & Hünnerkopf (2009).