2-038 - In search of a consensus: Addressing key issues in the study of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Developmental science has witnessed a recent explosion of research on self-regulation. Self-regulation is a broad topic that can encompass nearly any behavior, but there is a lack of consensus regarding what, exactly, self-regulation entails.

One unifying thread among theories of self-regulation is that it is tightly coupled with indicators of adaptive functioning. Individuals must constantly regulate their behavior in ways that optimize interactions with ever-changing contexts. Numerous studies from multiple cultures have linked self-regulation and adaptive developmental outcomes among children and adolescents.

The functional significance of self-regulation has attracted the interest of researchers from various approaches and disciplines, but the knowledge accumulated by researchers working from diverse theoretical perspectives has not been fully integrated to produce a comprehensive understanding of the development and role of self-regulation across the life span.

This roundtable brings together self-regulation researchers who share a life-span view of self-regulation and that have studied self-regulation among children, adolescents, and adults, using varied measures and methodologies, across different subgroups and cultures, and in relation to a wide range of developmental outcomes.

The panel will discuss fundamental theoretical issues and methodological limitations that they have identified in the existing literature. Most notably, the panel will address the reasons for the recent interest in self-regulation; how knowledge from different disciplines can be better integrated; the differences and similarities between self-regulatory functioning in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and; how research and applied work relating to self-regulation can be better integrated.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Moderator

• Steinunn Gestsdottir, University of Iceland

Panelists

• Richard M Lerner, Tufts University

• Megan M McClelland, Oregon State University

• Kristin L Moilanen, West Virginia University

• G. John Geldhof, Oregon State University