Numerous theoretical models (see Banich et al., 2009; Crocker et al., 2013; Groman, James, & Jentsch, 2009) and empirical demonstrations (e.g., Fillmore & Rush, 2006; Mezzacappa, Kindlon, & Earls, 1999; Romer et al., 2009; Shehzad, DeYoung, Kang, Grigorenko, & Gray, 2012) have underscored the role of cognitive control and its neural correlates in externalizing psychopathology. Specifically, dysfunction in frontal and prefrontal cortical circuits known to underlie cognitive control abilities, such as inhibition, attention control, and planning, are characteristic of individuals who exhibit externalizing problems such as impulsive aggression (e.g., Giancola, 1995; Giancola & Zeichner, 1994), attention-deficit disorder (e.g., Aron & Poldrack, 2005; Itami & Uno, 2002), drug abuse (e.g., Thompson et al., 2004), and risky sexual activity (Miner, Raymond, Mueller, Lloyd, & Lim, 2009). Thus, understanding factors that contribute to impairment in cognitive control and its neural substrates has important implications for elucidating externalizing problems in both clinical and nonclinical populations.
