Questions and Answers
What is effortful control?
Voluntary control of behavior so that reactive tendency can be inhibited and more adaptive responses appear.
How is effortful control related to self-regulation?
It supports self-regulation by allowing voluntary control of thoughts and feelings, resolving conflicts due to poor information, correcting errors, and planning new actions.
How does effortful control relate to executive functions?
It involves managing attention, inhibitory control of behavior, and activation of behavior.
What can kids do at 14-18 months in terms of effortful control?
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What can kids do at 30-36 months in terms of effortful control?
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What can kids do at 42-48 months in terms of effortful control?
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What did Rothbart find in terms of developmental pathways of effortful control?
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What are the outcomes of greater effortful control in early childhood and through the school age years?
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What are the outcomes of low effortful control in boys and girls?
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What are the coping strategies related to self-regulation?
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How can parents influence effortful control?
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What characterizes Rothbart's definition of temperament?
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What are the infancy dimensions of temperament?
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What are the early childhood dimensions of temperament?
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How do temperament traits in infancy lead to those in early childhood?
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How does effortful control relate to temperament?
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Study Notes
Effortful Control
- Defined as the voluntary management of behavior to inhibit reactive tendencies and enable adaptive responses.
- Key aspect is freedom from emotionally driven reactions.
Relation to Self-Regulation
- Essential for voluntary control over thoughts and feelings.
- Helps resolve conflicts stemming from confusing information.
- Facilitates error correction and planning for new actions.
Connection to Executive Functions
- Involves managing attention and inhibitory control to prioritize goals and delay gratification.
- Activation of behavior is also part of this control, posing challenges for young children.
Developmental Milestones in Children
- At 14-18 months, children start showing control over attention and inhibition, especially when well-fed and rested.
- By 30-36 months, children significantly improve their ability to inhibit pre-potent responses, though challenges remain.
- Children aged 42-48 months show enhanced ability to adapt and delay responses; consistent demonstration of control emerges during preschool years.
Rothbart's Research Findings
- At 12 months, attentional control and executive functioning contribute to self-regulation and effortful control development in later years.
- A combination of positive approach and limited attentional control at 12 months can predict extraversion and low effortful control between ages 2-5, which may lead to conduct issues.
Outcomes of Greater Effortful Control
- Linked to fewer problem behaviors and lower emotional distress.
- Associated with high levels of social competence, self-confidence, conscience development, and enhanced long-term self-regulation.
Outcomes of Low Effortful Control
- Girls exhibit higher anxiety levels with low effortful control.
- Boys are more prone to conduct disorders under the same conditions.
Coping Strategies and Self-Regulation
- Children face stress in challenging situations that can impact self-regulation.
- Problem-centered coping involves evaluating and addressing fixable issues.
- Emotion-focused coping centers on managing emotional responses to situations.
- School-aged children tend to favor strategies that control emotional expression.
Parental Influence on Effortful Control
- Parents can enhance effortful control through sensitive responses to a child's emotional distress.
- Promoting committed compliance by providing clear, consistent limits is beneficial.
- Encouraging sustained attention and task engagement is vital.
- Harsh or controlling parenting styles may lead to lower effortful control, with effective changes best implemented before age 3.
Rothbart's Definition of Temperament
- Characterized by stable individual differences appearing early in life regarding emotional reactions, activity levels, attention, and emotional self-regulation.
- Falls along a spectrum and is grounded in research.
Infancy Dimensions of Temperament
- Key dimensions include activity level, positive affect, soothability, fearful and irritable distress, and attention span/persistence.
Early Childhood Dimensions of Temperament
- In early childhood, dimensions evolve to include positive affect, activity levels, negative affect, and effortful control.
Transition from Infancy to Early Childhood Temperament Traits
- Infancy traits such as activity level and positive affect can lead to similar traits in early childhood, while fearful and irritable distress incline towards negative affect.
- Attention span and persistence in infancy predict the development of effortful control in early childhood.
Effortful Control and Temperament
- Effortful control is seen as biologically and heritably based, influenced by parental practices, and is moderately stable throughout childhood after it emerges in late infancy.
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Description
This quiz covers key concepts related to effortful control and its connection to self-regulation. Learn about the voluntary control of behavior and how it enables more adaptive responses in various situations. Ideal for students studying psychology or related fields.