Parental Structuring in Response to Toddler Negative Emotion Predicts Children’s Later Use of Distraction as a Self-Regulation Strategy for Waiting

Bibliographic Data

ID21301442
AuthorsNiyantri Ravindran (0000-0003-2201-3657, Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author), Breana G Genaro (Pennsylvania State University), Pamela M Cole (0000-0002-0753-7009, Pennsylvania State University)
Year2021
Volume92
Issue5
Pages1969-1983
Publication date2021-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChild Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0009-3920 • E-ISSN: 1467-8624
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/cdev.13563
PMID33788268
OpenAlexW3151927326
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited55

Structuring is a parental response to young children’s behavior that may foster children’s attempts to use cognitive skills to engage in self-regulation. Using a rural, economically strained sample, parental structuring in response to 127 eighteen-month-olds’ negative emotion was observed during a home visit. Children’s distraction, a useful cognitive strategy when waiting for a reward, was assessed during a laboratory wait task at 18, 24, 36, and 48 months. More frequent parental structuring at child age 18 months predicted more developmental growth in children’s use of distraction between 18 and 48 months, in contrast with parental directives. Consistent with Kopp’s (1989) framework, parental structuring may capitalize on children’s cognitive development to play a unique role in fostering children’s self-regulation of negative emotion

Child development · Cognition · Cognitive development · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Distraction · Structuring · Task (project management) · Toddler · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Psychology

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