Poster #135 - An Experimental Study of the Effects of Autonomy Support on Preschooler’s Executive Function and Self-Regulation

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Parents are a primary influence on the development of child self-regulation skills, which are crucial for successful child outcomes. Child executive function skills are responsive to direct intervention (Diamond & Ling, 2016). Autonomy support is the dimension of parenting most consistently found to predict child executive function skills (Fay-Stammbach et al., 2014), and is predictive in both mothers and fathers (Bernier et al., 2010; Meuwissen & Carlson, 2015). Studies utilizing experimental designs are especially important for ascertaining causal effects of parenting.
A short-term experimental investigation of parent autonomy support and its effect on 3-year-old children’s self-regulation (N pairs = 128; 50% fathers) was conducted. In a baseline dyadic puzzle task we assessed parent autonomy support and child self-regulation. Parents were then randomly assigned to complete a challenging puzzle with their child in either a highly autonomy supportive or highly controlling manner. During this manipulation phase, we again measured parent autonomy support and child self-regulation. In the post-test, children completed a similar puzzle on their own, measured for overall competence.
Results showed that parents were able to change their behavior according to the instructions given, as all Time x Condition effects in the repeated measures ANOVAs were significant (autonomy support: F = 42.10, control: F = 148.12, laissez faire: F = 17.18, all ps < .01). Parents who were lower in autonomy support at baseline benefitted most from the autonomy support training, as results showed that parents who started lower in autonomy support significantly improved, t(30) = -3.03, p < .01, whereas parents who already were at the top of the scale in autonomy support at baseline significantly decreased, t(32) = 4.20, p < .01. Changes in parenting affected child behavior during the dyadic puzzle. A hierarchical linear regression block including condition, change in autonomy support, change in control, and change in laissez faire accounted for 20% of child self-regulation (F change = 7.71, p < .001). Mothers and fathers had similar parenting quality at baseline (all ps > .05).
The results of this study indicated that parent autonomy support is a promising target for child executive function and self-regulation interventions, particularly in a personalized approach. Strengths of the study include an experimental design that allows a causal inference to be made about the effect of parenting on child self-regulation, as well as the inclusion of an equal number of mothers and fathers.

Authors

• Alyssa Meuwissen, University of Minnesota
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie M. Carlson, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author