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Developmental and Clinial Baby Research

Head:
Dr. Babett Voigt, Dr. Carolin Konrad

WAIT AND SEE
Observational learning of emotion regulation strategies in toddlers

Principal Investigator and Team:
Prof. Dr. Silvia Schneider
Dr. Sabine Seehagen
M.Sc. Johanna Schoppmann



Principal Investigator and Team


Prof. Dr. Silvia Schneider
Dr. Sabine Seehagen
M.Sc. Johanna Schoppmann

 

Collaborator

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG: 415/8-1
 

Duration

01.10.2016 – 30.09.2019


Description

This project focuses on mechanisms involved in learning to use the emotion regulation strategy 'distraction' in frustrating situations in toddlers. Four studies are planned to gain new insights into what factors help toddlers to successfully regulate themselves.

The first study found that 22-month old toddlers distracted themselves more while waiting after having observed an adult demonstrating playing with toys in a waiting situation in contrast to toddlers who did not see a model. The study found no differences in toddlers' imitation whether the adult model was a parent or the experimenter.

The second study aims at finding whether toddlers imitate distraction better from older siblings or their parents. This study is still in progress, as the data collection had to stop due to the Corona-pandemic.

The third study found that three-year olds are able to learn to distract themselves while waiting from picture books. Children imitated distracting themselves with toys irrespective of the age of the character (women vs. young child) after having read the picture book twice in contrast to children who read a different picture book.

The fourth study looked into relations between temperament and emotion regulation strategies in toddlers. Twentyfour-month-old toddlers chose toys that matched their temperamental activity level. More distraction related to less negative affect. Toddlers were also able to imitate distraction from the experimenter. They did not seem to profit more from a modeling behavior that matched their temperamental activity level than they profited from a modeling behavior that did not match their temperamental activity level.

Additionally, relations between parental anger emotion regulation strategies and toddler’s negative affect were investigated. It was found that parental adaptive emotion regulation strategies were negatively related to toddlers’ negative affect.

Publikation: Schoppmann, J., Schneider, S. & Seehagen, S. (2019). Wait and See: Observational Learning of Distraction as an Emotion Regulation Strategy in 22-Month-Old Toddlers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 47, 851–863.