BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Session Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

1-173 - The Art of Child Emotion Regulation

Thu, March 19, 4:05 to 5:35pm, Penn CC, Floor: 200 Level, Room 202B

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The role of the arts in child development is a subject of considerable controversy. Although most would agree that involvement in the arts should be part of every child’s experience, important questions remain about the effects of the arts on other domains of child functioning. Whereas broad claims have been made that participation in the arts improves IQ, test scores, and academic performance, few robust studies to date have supported such claims. Yet several recent investigations have suggested that the arts may foster the development of broad “habits of mind,” and an emergent research literature suggests benefits of artistic involvement for social-emotional functioning. This symposium presents three lines of research demonstrating the power of the arts for emotion regulation.

The first paper presents experimental results showing the emotion regulation benefits of drawing, particularly when used as a mechanism for distraction from versus expression of emotional pain. The evidence presented in the second paper suggests that participation in theater arts relates to decreases in expressive suppression, which is generally considered to be a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. The third and final paper presents evidence that, for children attending a Head Start program, music, dance, and visual arts classes are causally related to reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The discussant will discuss how the empirical findings presented in all three papers fit into the context of current controversy surrounding the role of the arts in child development.

Sub Unit

Chair

Discussant

Individual Presentations