Self‐regulated behavior and parent‐child co‐regulation are associated with young children's physiological response to receiving critical adult feedback

Abstract

Using piecewise growth curve trajectory modeling, we investigated kindergartners' physiological responses to receiving critical feedback from an adult during a laboratory drawing task. Further, we tested how children's independent self-regulated behavior, as well as the quality of parentchild co-regulation, related to physiological reactivity to and recovery from this challenge. We used respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) to measure parasympathetic nervous system activity. Participants were 96 children (M age = 5.6 years, 56% female) and their parents. We used observer ratings to capture children's self-regulated behavior during the laboratory visit and state-space grid methodology (an innovative, moment-to-moment behavioral coding method) to index observed parent-child positive co-regulation during four interaction tasks. First, the quality of dyadic parent-child coregulation was associated significantly with children's RSA reactivity during the dyadic experience of receiving critical feedback from an adult. Specifically, children with higher levels of positive parent-child co-regulation exhibited decreases in RSA while receiving critical feedback, which may indicate active engagement or coping with the challenging situation. Second, children's self-regulated behavior was associated significantly with RSA recovery during a period immediately after the task ended, when children were seated | 731 ARMSTRONG-CARTER ET Al. How to cite this article: Armstrong-Carter E, Sulik MJ, Obradović J. Self-regulated behavior and parentchild co-regulation are associated with young children's physiological response to receiving critical adult feedback.

Parent–child physiological synchrony: Concurrent and lagged effects during dyadic laboratory interaction

“…Positive behavioral co-regulation reflects the extent to which parent and child display positive, reciprocal, and harmonious patterns of behavior during shared dyadic interactions, and is uniquely important for child adjustment (MacPhee et al, 2015). Young children from dyads that show more positive behavioral co-regulation exhibit more self-regulated behavior (Bardack, Herbers, & Obradović, 2017;Lunkenheimer, Hamby, Lobo, Cole, & Olson, 2020;Scholtes, Lyons, & Skowron, 2021;Suveg et al, 2016), and respond with greater RSA withdrawal during individualized laboratory challenges (Armstrong-Carter, Sulik, & Obradović, 2021). However, it remains unclear whether positive behavioral co-regulation is related to parentchild physiological synchrony.…”

Taking a few deep breaths significantly reduces children's physiological arousal in everyday settings: Results of a preregistered video intervention

“…Developmental psychophysiology researchers have emphasized the importance of studying physiological recovery and identifying factors that explain different recovery trajectories in children (Burt & Obradović, 2013;Kahle et al, 2018;Obradović, 2012Obradović, , 2016. Descriptive developmental research has shown that children's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional self-regulation skills are significantly linked to their physiological recovery following a laboratory task (Armstrong-Carter et al, 2020;Finch & Obradović, 2017;Santucci et al, 2008).…”

“…Developmental psychophysiology researchers have emphasized the importance of studying physiological recovery and identifying factors that explain different recovery trajectories in children (Burt & Obradović, 2013; Kahle et al., 2018; Obradović, 2012, 2016). Descriptive developmental research has shown that children's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional self‐regulation skills are significantly linked to their physiological recovery following a laboratory task (Armstrong‐Carter et al., 2020; Finch & Obradović, 2017; Santucci et al., 2008). Determining whether experimentally induced regulation of breathing has a causal effect on children's physiological recovery following a cognitively or emotionally challenging task is a critical next step in translating this work into caregiving and educational practices that can promote children's well‐being.…”

Mothers’ and fathers’ executive function both predict emergent executive function in toddlerhood

“…According to the transactional model of self-regulatory skill development (Sameroff, 2010), children's skills develop in a careful balance between their own self-regulation and "other"-regulation (resulting in a dynamic process of "co-regulation"; e.g., Armstrong-Carter et al, 2021). Early in life, infants rely on other-regulation for nearly every- Stammbach et al, 2014;Hendry et al, 2016).…”

“…According to the transactional model of self‐regulatory skill development (Sameroff, 2010), children's skills develop in a careful balance between their own self‐regulation and “other”‐regulation (resulting in a dynamic process of “co‐regulation”; e.g., Armstrong‐Carter et al., 2021). Early in life, infants rely on other‐regulation for nearly everything: Caregivers do what is necessary to keep the child safe, warm, and fed, as children are unable to do it themselves.…”