Dynamic relationships between children’s higher‐order regulation and lower‐order reactivity predict development of attention problems

Dual‐process theories contend that interplay between higher‐order (i.e., regulatory) and lower‐order (i.e., reactive) systems influences the development of attention in early childhood. We therefore investigated interactions between an aspect of children's top‐down self‐regulation (i.e., effort...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social development (Oxford, England) England), 2021-02, Vol.30 (1), p.274-292
Main Authors: Liu, Pan, Kryski, Katie R., Smith, Heather J., Kotelnikova, Yuliya, Singh, Shiva, Hayden, Elizabeth P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
attention problems
Child development
Childhood
Children
Children & youth
Cortisol
Early childhood education
effortful control
Fear & phobias
longitudinal
multi‐method
negative reactivity
Positive emotions
positive reactivity
Prevention programs
Reactivity
Regulation
Risk factors
Self control
Self regulation
Stress
Temperament
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dual‐process theories contend that interplay between higher‐order (i.e., regulatory) and lower‐order (i.e., reactive) systems influences the development of attention in early childhood. We therefore investigated interactions between an aspect of children's top‐down self‐regulation (i.e., effortful control; EC) and positive reactivity (indexed by observed positive affectivity; PA) and negative reactivity (indicated by cortisol stress reactivity and observed fear) in predicting children's early attention problems. We found that observed EC at the age of three predicted lower attention problems 2 years later, controlling for attention problems at baseline. Importantly, the predictive effect of EC was more pronounced for children higher in cortisol stress reactivity at the age of three; this pattern was not found for observed PA or fear. Findings align with dual‐process developmental theories that emphasize the dynamics between regulatory and reactive processes in shaping child development. Our study provides the first evidence supporting dual‐process interactions in the domain of attention problems and has implications for identifying early risk markers and informing early prevention programs for children at greater risk for attention problems.
ISSN:0961-205X
1467-9507
DOI:10.1111/sode.12469