Toddler Inhibitory Control, Bold Response to Novelty, and Positive Affect Predict Externalizing Symptoms in Kindergarten

Abstract

Poor inhibitory control and bold-approach have been found to predict the development of externalizing behavior problems in young children. Less research has examined how positive affect may influence the development of externalizing behavior in the context of low inhibitory control and high approach. We used a multimethod approach to examine how observed toddler inhibitory control, bold-approach, and positive affect predicted externalizing outcomes (observed, adult- and self-reported) in additive and interactive ways at the beginning of kindergarten. 24-month-olds (N = 110) participated in a laboratory visit and 84 were followed up in kindergarten for externalizing behaviors. Overall, children who were low in inhibitory control, high in bold-approach, and low in positive affect at 24-months of age were at greater risk for externalizing behaviors during kindergarten.

If You Go Down to the Woods Today: Infants’ Distress During a Teddy Bear's Picnic in Relation to Peer Relations and Later Emotional Problems

“…In particular, distressed infants were less likely to use physical force against peers, a finding in line with prior evidence for a link between fearlessness in infancy and aggressive conduct problems (Baker et al., ; Buss et al., ; Dollar & Buss, ). Infants’ use of bodily force is indeed associated with known risk factors for aggression, especially mothers’ own history of conduct problems (Hay et al., ), and significantly associated with the infants’ general anger and use of force, as reported by family members (Hay et al., ).…”

“…The fact that distress was negatively related to infants’ use of force against their peers suggests that the aggressive problems shown by 3 years of age may emerge from earlier emotional vulnerability, but that possibility needs further test in this and other samples. Claims that fearless children are at risk for aggressiveness (e.g., Baker et al., ; Buss et al., ), whereas children who are distressed by novel events are at risk for social reticence and anxiety (Fox et al., ; Frenkel et al., ) may represent a false dichotomy.…”

“…Fearfulness in response to novel environments predicts shyness with peers in later childhood (Fox, Henderson, Rubin, Calkins, & Schmidt, ) and anxiety in young adulthood (Frenkel et al., ). In contrast, infants who show fearless reactions to novel stimuli are more likely to have conduct problems in later childhood (e.g., Baker et al., ; Buss, Kiel, Morales, & Robinson, ; Dollar & Buss, ), especially if they also expressed positive affect (Buss et al., ). However, the evidence is mixed: Conduct‐disordered children who eventually developed callous‐unemotional traits actually showed elevated stress in response to novelty when they were infants (Mills‐Koonce et al., ).…”

“…Because prior research has shown that infants’ fearless responses to novelty predict later aggression (Buss et al., ), we tested the specific hypothesis that infants’ distressed reactions would be inversely correlated with their use of physical force against the peers (other infants in the sample who attended the birthday party). Infants’ use of force against other infants emerges by 10 months (Eckerman, Whatley, & Kutz, ) and is correlated with known risk factors for aggression (Hay et al., ).…”

Approach and Positive Affect in Toddlerhood Predict Early Childhood Behavior Problems

“…Other empirical work using this sample includes Buss (), Buss et al. (), and Buss, Kiel, Morales, & Robinson (in press).…”