Neural basis linking self-control with achievement motivation: Functional connectivity between left dlPFC and right inferior temporal gyrus

Achievement motivation serves as a fundamental psychological construct that underlies and predicts a wide range of human adaptive behaviors, including goal setting and performance across academic and social domains. Although prior research has shown that self-control is associated with achievement motivation, it remains unclear which neural substrates underlie the association between self-control and achievement motivation. To address this issue, we employed resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and mediation analysis methods to investigate the neural basis of the relationship between self-control and achievement motivation in the discovery (N = 685) and replication sample (N = 210). In discovery sample, we found a significant positive correlation between self-control and achievement motivation. On the neural level, the FC between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) were negatively correlated with self-control. Furthermore, the mediation analysis demonstrated that self-control fully mediated the relationship between the FC between left dlPFC and the right ITG and achievement motivation. Repeating analyses in the independent replication sample also supported the robustness of the results obtained in the discovery study. Together these findings indicate that the FC between left dlPFC and right ITG may represent a key neural pathway through which self-control influences achievement motivation, providing new insights into their association from a neural perspective.