Week 12 - Emotional Regulation Flashcards

1
Q

Emotional regulation

A

set of conscious and unconscious processes used to
both monitor and modulate emotional experiences and expressions

Develops gradually and paves the way for success in relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Down-regulate

A

Attenuate emotion - not wanting to feel the emotion so try to diminish it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Up-regulate

A

Amplify emotion - want to feel it more

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Emotion regulation strategies

A

Appraisal theory - gross 2015

Situation selection - avoid the situation
Situation modification - change the situation
Attentional deployment - refocus attention
Cognitive change - change perception
Response modulation - shift reaction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

distressed vs happy infants

A

Parents help regulate by soothing (holding/rocking,
distracting, talking, singing, “shushing”)

Upregulate happiness by showing happiness
themselves or repeating act that caused the emotion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Co-regulation

A

caregiver provides the needed
comfort and/or distraction to help a child reduce
their distress

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Rudimentary emotional regulation

A

5 months old: show signs of rudimentary emotion
regulation

Self-comforting behaviours: repetitive actions that
regulate arousal by providing a positive physical
sensation
• Self-distraction: looking away from the upsetting
stimulus in order to regulate one’s level of arousal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Marshmallow test

A

• Strategies were important for regulating
• Those who covered eyes and distracted themselves did better
• Some distractions effective, some not
• Delay of gratification longitudinally predicted:
• Attention, intelligence, and use of strategy 10 years later
• Better performance in high school
• Higher education, self-esteem, and better coping with stress at age 30

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Causes of change in emotional regulation

A
  1. Development of the frontal lobes
    (managing attention and inhibiting
    thoughts/behaviours)
  2. Understanding expectations
    a. With increased mobility, parents
    expect children to manage behaviour
    b. With increases in language ability,
    parents negotiate and discuss
    emotional situations
    c. Attending to social norms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Why is emotion regulation important

A

ER abilities -> Social Competence (ability to achieve personal goals
in social settings while maintaining positive relationships with others)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Ways that families influence emotional development

A

Indirect (implicit) emotion socialization
Direct (explicit) emotion socialization
Emotion socialization: direct and indirect influence that parents have on their children’s emotions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Indirect emotion socialization

A

• Parents’ expression of emotion (modeling)
• Affects children’s understanding of what types of
emotional expressions are appropriate to
experience when
• Low emotional expressiveness in the family =
message that emotions should be avoided
• Affects children’s own distress and ability to
process important info about the others’
interactions (emotion contagion)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Still faced paradigm

A

Still-Face Paradigm (Tronick et al.,
1978)
• Control group: play with your
children for 10 minutes
• Experimental group:
• Interact normally for 2 mins
• Still face (sit back in chair and
maintain a neutral expression)
• Interact normally for 2 mins
• Still face
• Interact normally

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Still faced paradigm results

A

Infants look away to regulate stress
Still face leads to an increase in distress

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Emotional expression in the home

A

Happiness - Children express and experience higher levels of happiness and are more socially skilled, better able to understand others’ emotions, display rules, and have high self-esteems

Anger - Children experience and express negative emotions, exhibit low levels of social competence, at risk for depression and anxiety, inability to regulate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Universal emotion characteristics

A

Some general themes of what triggers each emotion

Debated
- 7 emotions - happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, contempt
- facial expressions of the 7 emotions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Cultural specifics and emotions

A

Interdependence vs independence
- interdependence less likely to express happy emotions

Display rules: guidelines we learn about how and when to express our emotions

Language used to describe emotion and specific words for emotion

Specific events that are likely to call forth an emotion

Attitudes about emotions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Direct emotion socialization strategies

A

Supportive

• Validating
• Magnifying
• Rewarding
• Problem-solving

Unsupportive
• Dismissing (minimizing)
• Neglecting
• Criticizing
• Punishing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Parents’ discussions about emotions

A

Parent-child conversations are critical for shaping children’s emotions and emotion
regulation abilities

Through conversations, parents teach
children about:
* The meaning of emotions
* Contexts in which the emotions should (not) be expressed
* Consequences of expressing emotions
* Practice regulation skills (emotion coaching) - discuss emotions, help them to learn to cope and express them appropriately

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How do discussions impact emotional development

A

Rich conversations that involve discussions about thoughts and emotions early in development Children’s emotion language and understanding

Childs own characteristics impact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Temperament

A

Individual differences in children’s emotion, activity level, and
attention exhibited across contexts
• Broader than personality traits
• “Building blocks of personality”
• Represent the innate biological structures of personality + influence of early environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Three characteristics of temperament

A
  1. Activity level = overall amount of energy and of behavior a person
    exhibits
  2. Emotionality = The intensity of emotional reactions
  3. Attention = attending and focusing on an object and a task for an
    extended period of time.
  4. Sociability = general tendency to affiliate with others
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Temperament categorizations

A

Easy Babies 40%
• Readily adjust to new
situations
• Establish daily routines
easily
• Cheerful in mood and
easy to calm

Difficult Babies 10%
• Slow to adjust to new
experiences
• React negatively and
intensely to novel
situations
• Irregular in daily routines

Slow-to-warm-up babies 15%
• Difficult at first but
become easier over time
with repeated contact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Temperament dimensions

A

Fear
Distress at limitations
Attention span
Activity level
Smiling and laughter

characterize a child along set of dimensions

25
Q

Fear

A

Fear

Tendency to experience unease,
worry, or nervousness to novel or
potentially threatening situations

“How often during the last week did
the baby startle to a sudden or loud
noise?”

“My child is not afraid of large
dogs and/or other animals”
(reversed for scoring).

26
Q

Distress at limitations (infant)
or anger/frustration (in
childhood)

A

Negative emotional response
related to having ongoing task
interrupted or blocked

“When placed on his/her back, how
often did the baby fuss or protest?”

“My child has temper tantrums
when s/he doesn’t get what s/he
wants.”

27
Q

Attention span

A

Attention to an object or task for
an extended period of time

“How often during the last week did
the baby stare at a mobile, crib
bumper, or picture for 5 minutes or
longer?”

“When picking up toys or other
jobs, my child usually keeps at
the task until it’s done.”

28
Q

Activity level

A

Rate and extent of gross motor
body movements

“When put into the bath water, how
often did the baby splash or kick?”

“My child seems always in a big
hurry to get from one place to
another.”

29
Q

Smiling and laughter

A

Positive emotional response to a
change in the intensity, complexity, or incongruity of a stimulus

“How often during the last week did
the baby smile or laugh when given a
toy?”

“My child laughs a lot at jokes
and silly happenings.”

30
Q

Measurement tools

A

Parent report
Pros - extensive knowledge of child’s responses
Cons - reporting bias, differing comparison reference points

Laboratory observations
Pros - less bias, more objective assessment
Cons - no measure is perfect, may not get general tendencies

31
Q

Temperament and genetics

A

• Some evidence from twin studies that genetics matter
• Identical twins more similar in their emotion and regulation than fraternal twins
• Self-regulation is related to genes that are responsible for dopamine function

32
Q

Temperament and environment

A

• Teratogens (nutritional deficiencies, drugs, stress during pregnancy)
• Regulation of attention and behaviour
• Harsh home environment
• Self-regulation and emotion expression difficulties
• Warm responsive home environment
• More positive affect and prosocial behaviour
• Remember, there is always a bidirectional relationship!!
• Parent tailors their socialization strategies to the child

33
Q

Differential susceptibility

A

Dandelion - can adapt in different contexts
Orchid - flourish in positive environments, do bad in negative environments

34
Q

Biopsychosocial model

A

Mental, social, physical health all interacts for well being

35
Q

Stress

A

A physiological reaction to some
change or threat in the environment

Stress happens when demands ≠ ability

periodic stress benefits adaptive function of mobilizing the child to take action

36
Q

Stress components

A

• Increased heart rate
• Secretion of stress hormones
• Increased flow of blood to the brain
• Heightened feeling of vigilance and fear
• Release of cortisol

37
Q

Eustress

A

• Form of stress that might be good for you
• In response to generally positive events (e.g., getting your diverse
license, before a competition)
• Still has physiological effects on body

38
Q

Daily hassles

A

routine nuisances of day-to-day living (Kanner et al., 1981). They
refer to unexpected small occurrences that disrupt daily life

In urban environments:
• Related to crowding, noise, pollution, crime, and personal alienation
• Makes for daily and chronic issues
• Green space can help

In impoverished circumstances:
• Poverty = violence, crime, discrimination
• Wealthy people experience fewer daily stressors
• Exposure during childhood particularly impactful

39
Q

Study by Elsayed et al (2019)

A

• More daily hassles → Worse sadness
regulation, especially for those who did
not experience much stress pre-
migration
• Family routines helped manage
emotions

40
Q

Traumatic stress

A

stress from a single major negative event (e.g., hurricanes, terrorist attacks)
• Children experience high levels of emotions (anger, sadness, anxiety) that can lead to mental
health challenges if not intervened
• Talking about these events can be helpful for helping children cope with these emotions

41
Q

Toxic stress

A

Chronic high levels of stress without the appropriate supports
• Can have effects on the brain
• Brain regions (e.g., amygdala and hippocampus) can get overloaded and atrophy

42
Q

Adverse childhood experiences

A

sources of toxic stress (e.g., child maltreatment,
parental illness, violence exposure, etc.) that, when many are experienced, lead to mental and
physical health problems
• More ACES = more harm to healthy development

43
Q

What do we do about toxic stress and ACES

A

• Providing children with opportunities to experience positive events
(benevolent childhood experiences; BCEs)
• Removing them from the adverse environment and placing them in a safe
home with consistent authoritative parenting
• Community-based programs:
• Parental education
• Educating pediatricians to recognize signs and effects of toxic stress

44
Q

Mental disorders

A

chronic, negative emotional reactions to aspects of the environment or to
social relationships that affect daily life

45
Q

Equifinality and multifinality

A

Equi - no single pathway to a disorder

Multi - one stress can lead to a variety of outcomes

46
Q

Depression

A

involves a sad or irritable mood along with physical and cognitive
changes that affect the child’s or adolescent’s ability to behave and interact in a typical way

47
Q

Depression diagnosis

A

• Feeling sad or irritable for a period of 2 weeks
• Physical and cognitive symptoms (e.g., difficulty sleeping)
• Changes in weight (loss or gain)
• Inability to concentrate
• Loss of interest in activities

48
Q

Depression statistics

A

• ~3% of children and adolescents meet criteria for depression
• On the rise following COVID-19
• Girls more likely than boys to develop depression
• Risk increases in adolescence

49
Q

Causes of depression

A

• Genetics (40% of the variance)
• Low parental sensitivity, warmth, and structure
• Rumination
• Low self-esteem

50
Q

Anxiety

A

the inability to regulate fear and worry such that the individual experiences

excessive and uncontrollable fear of real or perceived threats or future threats

51
Q

Anxiety diagnostic criteria

A

• Intense fear and anxiety that lasts for days, weeks, months
• Inability to concentrate on tasks
• May also involve panic attacks (sudden and intense surges of fear and discomfort)
• Phobias of animals or situations

52
Q

Other anxiety disorders

A

• Separation anxiety in young children
• Agoraphobia and panic disorder in adolescents
• 7% meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder

53
Q

Anxiety causes

A

• Genetics (30% variance)
• Temperament (fearful or inhibited temperaments)
• Social learning and classical/operant conditioning
• E.g., child bit by a dog = phobia of dogs
• Parents who are overprotective, overinvolved, controlling (helicopter
parents)

54
Q

Treating internalizing mental disorders

A

Pharmacotherapy → SSRIs, but not a great option

Cognitive behavioural therapy → effective! Learn appropriate skills to effective regulate their emotions and interpret their environment

Family therapy is likely most efficacious

7% children prescribed at least one medication for mood disorders

55
Q

development of emotion regulation

A

2 months - crying, use reassurance to calm

next few months - vocalizations, holding, rocking

5 months - self comforting behaviours - repetitive actions - self distraction

9-12 months - awareness of adult expectations and regulating self accordingly

56
Q

parental reactions to emotions

A

influence child’s tendencies to express emotions

dismissing or criticizing - telling children their feelings are not valid

supportive - help children regulate emotion, better adjusted

57
Q

physiological measure of temperament

A

heart rate, how the CNS responds to novel situation

activation of right frontal lobe linked to withdrawal, fear, anxiety - more reaction during novel stimuli

58
Q

biological determinants of temperament

A

genes related to dopamine function relevant for self regulation

variance in effortful control, negative affectivity, and extraversion explained by heritability

59
Q

gender differences in adolescent depression

A

girls 2-3x more likely
girls express more internalizing emotions
rumination - repeadetly focuses on causes, consequences, symptoms of depression
co-rumination - extensively and almost exclusivey discussing and self disclosing emotional problems with another person