Complex cognitive functions that are important for mature goal-directed adult behaviour develop throughout adolescence and well into adulthood [1–3]. These so-called “executive functions” (EF) include motor and interference inhibition, performance monitoring, cognitive flexibility, attention control, planning, decision-making, temporal foresight and working memory [4]. Cognitive control refers more specifically to functions that require the overriding of interfering responses, such as motor and interference inhibition, performance monitoring and executive attention control [5]. A recent distinction has been made between “cool” and “hot” EF, whereby “cool” cognitive executive functions (EF) refer to relatively abstract and dyscontextualized functions, such as the functions traditionally labelled as EF or cognitive control, as defined above, while “hot” EF involve monetary reward or incentives, such as reward-related decision-making and gambling tasks [6]. Top-down control of motivation is an essential indicator of adult mature behaviour and develops still between adolescence and adulthood with adolescents being more risk-friendly and having less control over the impact of proximal rewards than adults [7–9]. There are other functions, however, which also develop relatively late and are less well researched. For example, timing functions,
