Lecture Outline Emotion Regulation Definition Normative Development Individual

Lecture Outline • Emotion Regulation – Definition – Normative Development • Individual Differences in Emotion and Emotion Regulation – Temperament • Temperament Dimensions • Measurement of Temperament • Temperament and Later Adjustment

• Emotion Regulation

Normative Development of ER • Role of Caregivers – Parents help infants and young children regulate negative emotions – Over time, infants and young children gradually become better able to regulate emotions independently

• Use of cognitive strategies to regulate negative emotions increases with age – Ex: mental distraction; focus on positive aspects of a situation • Use of more effective/appropriate strategies to regulate emotions increases with age

Individual Differences in Emotion and ER • Temperament: Biologically based individual differences in emotional characteristics and other behaviors – Show consistency across situations – Relatively stable over time

Temperament Dimensions: – Fearful distress/Behavioral Inhibition – Irritable distress – Attention span/persistence – Activity level – Positive affect

Measurement of Temperament • Parent report • Structured Observation • Psychophysiological Methods

Temperament and Later Adjustment • “Difficult” temperament may include: – High irritable distress or fearful distress – Low attention span/persistence – High activity level – Low positive affect

• Difficult temperament in infancy/preschool period is correlated with adjustment problems later in life (adolescence, adulthood)

• Goodness-of-Fit – Degree to which a child’s temperament is compatible with the expectations of the social environment (including the family environment) • Poor goodness-of-fit likely to result in adjustment problems for children