A transactional model of expressive control and inhibitory control across childhood. Issue 3 (15th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berzenski, Sara R.; Yates, Tuppett M.
• Is Part Of: Social development. Volume 30:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 748
• Page End: 766
• Publication Date: 2021-02-15
• Subjects: cross‐lagged panel models -- expressive control -- inhibitory control -- longitudinal -- self‐regulation -- transactional; Child development -- Periodicals; Socialization -- Periodicals; 305.0791
• DOI: 10.1111/sode.12507
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0961-205X

Abstract

Abstract: This investigation examined cross‐lagged relations between expressive control (i.e., management of expressed affect) and inhibitory control (i.e., management of behavior) to elucidate the development of self‐regulation across affective and behavioral domains. Regulation was assessed longitudinally at ages four, six, and eight using both observational laboratory tasks and teacher reports in a diverse sample of 250 children. Both observational and teacher‐reported models produced parallel results, with consistent prospective relations between expressive control and inhibitory control. In both models, better expressive control of affect at age four predicted better inhibitory control of behavior at six whereas better inhibitory control at age six predicted better expressive control at age eight. Cross‐domain longitudinal relations controlled for the stability of prior within‐domain regulation and concurrent cross‐domain relations. The replication of these findings across laboratory and school settings provides particularly robust evidence for these effects. This study demonstrated that clarifying developmental dynamics across domains of self‐regulation may be essential to understanding the full regulatory system.