Poster #214 - The Unique Association of Preschool Context-Inappropriate Anger with Externalizing Behavior and Emotion Knowledge

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

The focus of this study is to determine the contribution of child emotion to differences in behavior and emotional processing, while accounting for other known contributing factors. Context-inappropriate (CI) anger is a form of emotion dysregulation that may be important for development of externalizing behavior (e.g., Locke & Lang, 2016; Locke, Miller, Seifer, & Heinze, 2015). CI anger occurs when children express anger in situations that do not typically elicit anger given the present incentives or goals (e.g., threat, reward). Language ability is also important for behavioral development. Children with language deficits often show lower social and emotional adjustment (Archibald, Joanisse, & Shepherd, 2008; Danger & Landreth 2005), including externalizing behavior (Karasinki, 2015; Menting, Van Lier, & Koot, 2011). One aim of the study was to assess the unique contribution of CI anger to externalizing behavior beyond the influence of language skills.
Emotional behavior is guided by accurate knowledge of the emotional context. Showing CI anger in certain contexts (such as threatening ones) might be due to more sensitivity to the nature of the emotional context. Therefore, we might expect CI anger in some circumstances to be associated with greater emotion knowledge. The second aim of this study was to assess the unique association of CI anger with situational knowledge, beyond the known contribution of recognition knowledge (Bennett, Bendersky, & Lewis, 2005).
One hundred thirty-seven preschoolers (71 male) participated in the study. Children were 4 to 5 years old (M = 53 months, SD = 4.9) and were racially and economically diverse. Parents reported on CI anger using a 3-item scale (α = .63) (e.g., “In situations where most children become sad or anxious, (e.g., when lost at the mall), my child becomes angry”; Locke & Lang, 2016). Receptive language was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4; Dunn & Dunn, 2007). Teachers reported on externalizing behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Emotion recognition and situational knowledge were measured using the Emotion Matching Test (Izard et al., 2003; Morgan et al., 2009) and Affect Knowledge Test (Denham, 1986). We conducted a hierarchical regression to assess the respective contributions of CI anger and language ability to externalizing behavior. A second hierarchical regression assessed the respective contributions of CI anger and emotion recognition to situational knowledge.
CI anger was marginally associated with externalizing behavior, but this association was qualified by a marginally significant interaction with gender (see Table 1). Boys whose parents reported them showing CI anger had marginally higher externalizing behavior than their peers. Importantly, CI anger predicted variance in externalizing behavior beyond that attributed to language deficits. We also found a unique association of CI anger with situational knowledge (see Table 2). CI anger predicted variance in situational knowledge beyond that attributed to recognition knowledge.
Overall, CI predicted both externalizing behavior and situational knowledge, beyond the contribution of other known predictors. These findings should help guide appropriate intervention and future research regarding externalizing behaviors for preschool-aged children.

Authors

• Kelsey E. Leubner, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  Presenting Author

• Alicia Cronister-Morais, Bridgewater State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joseph A. Cataldo, University of New Haven
  Non-Presenting Author

• Robin L. Locke, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  Non-Presenting Author