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Effects of Age, Adaptive Behavior, and Cognitive Abilities on Competence-Related Abilities in Children and Adolescents

Consideration of competence to waive Miranda rights (CWM) and competence to stand trial (CST) has become commonplace in the juvenile justice system. Past research has shown age and intelligence are important risk factors for incompetence, but investigations of particular aspects of cognition and more practical aspects of functioning are limited. The present study investigated the direct and indirect effects of age, adaptive functioning, and three specific cognitive abilities (working memory, attention, and processing speed) on both types of competence for 92 children and adolescents ages 8–16. While age was strongly related to all aspects of both types of competence, mixed results were found for the cognitive abilities, and adaptive functioning was only related to some aspects of CWM. Contrary to expectations, it was found that, for the most part, the effect cognitive abilities had on competence did not vary depending on the age of the child or adolescent, and that higher adaptive functioning did not serve as a protective factor for competence when cognitive functioning was low.