However, we also found that household threat was associated with more response caution. Thus, children with more household threat tended to be slower because they responded more carefully.

In line with deficit frameworks, household threat, but not material deprivation, was mostly associated with slower task-general processing. In other words, children with more household threat processed information more slowly across all tasks.

Solution #2: After estimating DDM parameters, we used SEM to estimate task-general processes (i.e., shared variance in parameters) and task-specific processes (unique residual variance in parameters). We then estimated associations with adversity.

Solution #1: We used Hierarchical Drift Diffusion Modeling (DDM) to distinguish between three processes: (1) speed of information processing (drift rate), (2) response caution (boundary separation), and (3) speed of task preparations/response execution (non-decision time).

Problem #2: Performance on any task relies both on unique abilities as well as shared cognitive processes, such as general processing speed. Adversity exposure might disrupt task-general processes, thereby lowering performance across a range of tasks.

However, many other factors can influence performance besides the ability of interest (e.g., inhibition). For example, children from adversity might respond with more caution, making their responses slower.