Emotion Regulation Strategies in Toddlerhood and Middle Childhood

This study will examine the relation between behavioral emotion regulation (ER) strategies at toddler age 3 to cognitive ER strategies in middle childhood/pre-adolescence as part of an ongoing longitudinal study of children's typical development. Aim 1 is to test whether self-soothing/caregiver-focused and distraction behavioral ER strategies at child age 3 predict avoidant and engaging cognitive ER strategies, respectively, at a follow-up assessment to be completed when children are 8-14 years old. In a completed wave of data collection, children's ER behaviors were elicited in laboratory tasks characterized by novelty and uncertainty at age 3. Avoidant and engaged cognitive ER strategies will be assessed by children's self-report, parent-report, and interviews with children after they engage in new laboratory tasks characterized by uncertainty. Hypothesis 1a: Self-soothing/caregiver-focused toddler behavioral ER strategies will predict avoidant cognitive strategies in middle childhood/pre-adolescence. Hypothesis 1b: The toddler behavioral ER strategy of distraction will predict engaged cognitive ER strategies in middle childhood/pre-adolescence. To provide additional developmental information, Aim 2 is to test whether child age at the follow up assessment (ranging 8-14 years) moderates the relation between behavioral ER strategies at age 3 and cognitive emotion regulatory strategies in middle childhood/pre-adolescence. Hypothesis 2: Because older children will have undergone more development underlying cognitive ER strategies, relations specified in Hypotheses 1a and 1b will strengthen across older ages. Finally, the Exploratory Aim is to test theoretically-supported individual (i.e., temperament) and environmental (i.e., family emotional environment) variables as potential mediators or moderators of the relation between behavioral ER strategies at age 3 and cognitive ER strategies in middle childhood-preadolescence. The investigators expect inhibited temperament to be involved in the link between behavioral ER strategies and avoidant cognitive ER strategies, effortful control to be involved in the link between behavioral ER strategies and engaged cognitive ER strategies, and the emotional family environment to be involved in linking behavioral ER strategies to both avoidant and engaged ER strategies.