"This approach was also able to identify subgroups of children with different levels of cognitive control and performance monitoring, or the ability to modify one’s strategy after making an error."

This should surprise no one. You took a large population and found subpopulations within it. If you want to look at a population average, then use the population data. If you want to look at kids with specific attention needs (guessing ADHD since medical related) then design a study to select for children fitting that criteria, including subtypes.

This seems like the type of thing that should have had a study about study design done long ago that they could have followed to help them structure their own population selection.