Poster #225 - Emotional Competence and Social Information Processing Among Turkish Preschoolers: Predictions of Subsequent Social Competence

• In Event: 2-163 - Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Research has consistently documented the link between preschoolers’ emotional competence and subsequent social and behavioral adjustment (Denham, 2007; Trentacosta & Fine, 2010). The present study sought to examine whether social information processing (SIP) may act as an explanatory mechanism in this relationship. We hypothesized that older children, girls, children from higher SES, and those who were more emotionally competent would have better SIP skills. Furthermore, we predicted that children's SIP would mediate the relationship between their emotional competence and subsequent social and behavioral adjustment. A total of 276 Turkish children (131 boys, Mage= 59.40, SD = 7.14, range = 38-77 months) and their preschool teachers participated in the study. All children were recruited from preschools in Istanbul using convenience sampling. At Time 1, children’s emotional competence and SIP were measured in individually tested sessions in preschool. Children responded to the Challenging Situations Task (Denham et al., 1994), which involved hypothetical and emotionally challenging peer scenarios and required children to identify their potential reactions in each situation to measure individual differences in SIP. Children were also administered the Test of Emotion Comprehension (Pons et al., 2004) to assess their emotion competence. At Time 2 (six months later), preschool teachers completed the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation scale (Dumas & LaFrenier 1990). Results indicated that as children got older, they preferred aggressive and manipulative/crying reactions to challenging peer situations to a lesser extent, while they chose prosocial reactions more. Higher SES was related to less aggressive reactions. Girls chose prosocial reactions more than boys, whereas boys selected aggressive reactions more than girls. Also, children with higher emotional competence were reported as being more socially competent by their teachers later on. As presented in Figure 1, prosocial reactions to challenging peer situations acted as a mediator of the relationship between emotional competence and later social competence as reported by teachers (B =.24 (.10), CI = [.06-.46]). In conclusion, findings corroborated previous research on the relation of child age, sex, SES, and emotional competence with SIP using a sample of Turkish preschoolers. Going beyond previous research, the present study also provided evidence that emotional competence contributed to more constructive SIP, which in return predicts preschoolers' social competence with peers six months later.

Authors

• Burcu Buğan, Boğaziçi University
  Presenting Author

• FEYZA ÇORAPÇI, BOĞAZİÇİ UNİVERSITY
  Non-Presenting Author