Early positive emotionality as a heterogenous trait: Implications for children's self-regulation.

Abstract

Young children's positive affect in scripted laboratory procedures and in free-flowing social interactions may reflect the activation of related but distinct aspects of positive emotionality (PE), with different implications for self-regulation. The authors observed children's PE in scripted laboratory procedures and in naturalistic interactions with mothers in 2 studies: at 9, 14, 22, 33, and 45 months (the Parent-Child Study, N=112) and at 7, 15, 25, 38, and 52 months (the Family Study, N=102). Measures of self-regulation included effortful control (observed in the Parent-Child Study at 22, 33, and 45 months and in the Family Study at 25, 38, and 52 months) and rule-compatible conduct (observed in the Parent-Child Study at 56 and 73 months and in the Family Study at 38 and 52 months). In both studies, 2 PE measures had distinct implications: PE in scripted procedures related negatively, whereas PE in mother-child interactions related positively to self-regulation. In both studies, those differential effects were particularly clear for children's effortful control. A view of early PE as having a heterogeneous nature may inform researchers' understanding of its role in the developing personality.

Individual Differences in Executive Functioning: Implications for Stress Regulation

“…Indeed, temperament studies suggest that high surgency in children may negatively influence the development of effortful control. Consistent with this notion, Kochanska and colleagues [120] demonstrated that positive emotionality expressed during structured laboratory tasks, interpreted as reflecting strong approach tendencies, were negatively associated with performance on behavioral effortful control tasks. However, in studies examining working memory, extraversion is associated with better performance but only when there is a higher cognitive load [121].…”

“…Children who are rated as more agreeable by their peers perform better on tasks requiring effortful behavioral regulation [148]. Notably, Kochanska and colleagues [120] demonstrated that positive emotionality expressed during mother-child interactions, interpreted as reflecting high affiliation, was positively associated with behavioral indices of effortful control.…”

The Development of Hot and Cool Executive Functions in Childhood and Adolescence: Are We Getting Warmer?

“…It will be of great interest to examine the degree to which particularly hot aspects of "effortful control," as measured by Kochanska, Aksan, Penney, and Doobay ( 2007 ), are similar to, or the same as, hot executive function as described in this chapter. Based on Kochanska's work, there may be substantial implications for individual differences in hot executive function as predictors of later rulebased moral behavior in children and adolescents, particularly males.…”

The ability to regulate emotion is associated with greater well-being, income, and socioeconomic status.

“…Finally, longitudinal research has found some associations between positive emotions linked to approach motivation (such as joy) and impulsivity and reduced self-regulation ability among young children (Blair, Peters, & Granger, 2004; Kochanska, Aksan, Penney, & Doobay, 2007). These results suggest that at least some aspects of well-being may predict lower emotion regulation ability in the long-term.…”