3-010 - Dynamic Parenting and Dyadic Mechanisms in Children’s Regulatory Development: Modeling Time, Dimension, and Context

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

A germinal Child Development paper (Cole, Martin, & Dennis, 2004) called for more sophisticated conceptual and methodological approaches to self-regulation, defining it as a dynamic process operating in real time, across dimensions (e.g., emotional, cognitive), and in context. Though this definition is now widely accepted, many studies still use static measures or assess single dimensions of self-regulation at one time point. In this symposium, we apply advanced methods to demonstrate the promise of dynamic, multi-dimensional, and contextualized approaches to the study of parenting and self-regulation. Our expert discussant will address how these approaches reveal specificity of the mechanisms involved in developing regulatory processes and how to advance research on regulatory dynamics.

Paper 1 uses hidden Markov modeling to determine that maternal autonomy support and children’s autonomous behavior, in the context of harsh parenting, are less likely to couple dynamically during real-time interactions. When positively coupled, they predict reductions in harsh parenting and dysregulated behavior across early childhood.

Paper 2 examines temperament and observed parent and child behavior as predictors of real-time trajectories of child persistence in challenging parent-child interactions. Group-based trajectory modeling reveals differential predictors of persistence patterns for mother-child vs. father-child dyads, and low effortful control and high reactivity load onto different persistence patterns.

Paper 3 finds that different parenting dimensions mediate pathways between socioeconomic adversity and cognitive versus behavioral substrates of self-regulation. Democratic discipline mediates the effect of adversity on cognitive substrates whereas harsh discipline mediates the effect on behavioral substrates, pathways also moderated by child negative affect.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Erika Lunkenheimer, Pennsylvania State University

Discussant

• Pamela M Cole, Penn State University

Individual Presentations

• Harsh Parenting Weakens the Dynamic Coupling of Maternal Autonomy Support and Children's Autonomous Behavior - Presenting Author: Erika Lunkenheimer, Pennsylvania State University; Elizabeth Skowron, University of Oregon; Nilam Ram, Pennsylvania State University

• Differential Predictors of Dynamic Patterns of Preschoolers’ Task Persistence in Mother-Child versus Father-Child Interactions - Presenting Author: Carlomagno Panlilio, Pennsylvania State University; Erika Lunkenheimer, Pennsylvania State University; Sheryl Olson, University of Michigan

• Emerging Cognitive and Behavioral Regulation in Childhood: The roles of SES, Maternal Discipline, and Child Temperament - Presenting Author: Jennifer H. Suor, University of Rochester; Melissa Sturge-Apple, University of Rochester