Reciprocal Relation Between Executive Function and Emotion Regulation in Preschoolers: A Cross-Lagged and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Analysis

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240110

Abstract

Abstract: As two important components of self-regulation, executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) are closely associated. EF refers to the high-level cognitive processes that are necessary for planning and executing goal-directed behavior, and ER refers to the extrinsic and intrinsic processes responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and modifying emotional reactions, especially their intensive and temporal features, to accomplish one’s goals. Existing, empirical studies have shown that children’s positive EF is conducive to the development of their ER, and higher ER skills can also improve children's EF. However, longitudinal research scarcely explored the potential reciprocal relationship between EF and ER. Moreover, developmental theory is typically concerned with within-person variability, and developmental processes are often assumed to occur within, rather than between individuals. The cross-lagged panel model (CLPM), a traditional method testing direction of effects, fails to separate between-person variance from within-person variance. In this regard, the random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) could split the variance of each variable into stable between-person variation, which denotes, on average, whether children who perform better on one variable (e.g., EF) also perform better on the other (e.g., ER), and within-person variation, which denotes changes from one’s own mean level (e.g., EF) during the assessment period as a function of changes in one’s own levels of the other variable (e.g., ER) and the autoregressive effect from the previous assessment point. Therefore, the aim of this study is to use the RI-CLPM to provide a strong test of both between- and within-person associations between EF and ER during preschool period. Meanwhile, we also use the CLPM to test the EF-ER relations to further verify and compare results. In addition, EF components, including inhibitory control, working memory and attention shift, are suggested to be independent of each other even at a young age and also to undergo distinct developmental changes with age. Thus, it is vital to understand how each EF component is related to ER and whether the relations would vary with EF components.
The longitudinal sample consisted of 381 Chinese preschool children (Wave 1:M_age = 4.22 years, SD = .46 years; 50.97% boys, 49.03% girls) in Beijing. During three waves, mothers reported children’s EF using the Behavior Rating Inventory of the Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P), which included the inhibitory self-control index (ISCI), the emergent metacognition index (EMI) and the flexibility index (FI). Children’s ER was also reported by mothers using the Emotional Regulation Checklist (ERC). The internal consistency was good for both measures at three times.
The results of the CLPMs showed that all of the autoregressive paths were statistically significant. With regard to the cross-lagged effects, ISCI and FI were bidirectionally related to ER at T1 and T2, but only the paths from EF at T1 and T2 and EMI at T2 to ER at the subsequent time point were significant, but not vice versa. The results of the RI-CLPMs showed that at within-person level, all of the autoregressive paths were not statistically significant except for the path from ER at T2 to ER at T3. As to cross-lagged paths, FI and ER were reciprocally predicted at the within-person level between T1 and T2, and ER at T1 significantly predicted the within-person changes in ISCI at T2. In addition, at the between-person level, the random intercepts of EF, ISCI and EMI were significantly correlated with the random intercept of ER.
In sum, the associations between EF and ER are found to be different for EF components. The associations between ISCI/EMI and ER are more likely to occur at the between-person level, and the relations between FI and ER primarily represent within-person associations only from early preschool to middle preschool.

Key words: executive function, emotion regulation, reciprocal relation, within-person, between-person

摘要： 研究采用学前儿童执行功能行为评定量表和情绪调节量表为研究工具,对北京市381名学前儿童进行三次追踪考察学前儿童执行功能与情绪调节的动态双向关系。传统交叉滞后模型(CLPM)结果显示,T1和T2的整体执行功能显著预测后一时间点的情绪调节;抑制-自我控制和灵活性与情绪调节在不同时间点上存在双向预测效应;元认知能够显著预测情绪调节。随机截距交叉滞后模型(RI-CLPM)结果表明,在个体内层面,灵活性与情绪调节在T1和T2可以相互预测,T1情绪调节可以显著预测T2抑制-自我控制。这表明提升学前儿童的情绪调节能力有助于促进其灵活性和抑制-自我控制能力的发展,同时灵活性的发展也有利于提升情绪调节能力。

关键词: 执行功能, 情绪调节, 双向关系, 个体间, 个体内

Xing Xiaopei, Zhao Xinyu, Hu Xia. Reciprocal Relation Between Executive Function and Emotion Regulation in Preschoolers: A Cross-Lagged and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Analysis[J]. Journal of Psychological Science, 2024, 47(1): 80-88.

邢晓沛, 赵新宇, 胡夏. 学前儿童执行功能与情绪调节的双向关系：基于交叉滞后与随机截距交叉滞后的分析^*[J]. 心理科学, 2024, 47(1): 80-88.

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