Parent-Child Co-Regulation and Young Children's Physiological Response to Receiving Negative Adult Feedback on a Frustration Task

• In Event: Home and Family Contributions to Young Children's Development

Abstract

In this study, we examine how the quality of parent-child interaction relates to young children’s physiological response to a common challenge in educational settings: receiving negative feedback from an adult. Participants were 102 children (Mage = 5.6 years) and their parents. We conceptualized physiological response as a dynamic process that includes reactivity and recovery. We employed state-state grid methodology—a dynamic, moment-to-moment behavioral coding method—to measure parent-child positive co-regulation (Bardack et al., 2017). Greater parent-child positive co-regulation was significantly associated with children’s adaptive physiological response to negative feedback (i.e., greater parasympathetic withdrawal). Results shed light on the relation between parent-child interaction and young children’s physiological responses to the everyday challenges that occur in learning environments.

Authors

• Emma Armstrong-Carter, Stanford University

• Michael Sulik, Stanford University

• Jelena Obradovic, Stanford University