Section C. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Influences on Infant and Early Childhood Regulatory Development

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2 Section C Intrinsic and Extrinsic Influences on Infant and Early Childhood Regulatory Development

Influences on the Development of Self-Regulation Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on the development of selfregulation Theoretical model of

3 Influences on the Development of Self-Regulation Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on the development of selfregulation Theoretical model of probabilistic epigenesis, depicting bidirectional influences over four levels of analysis genetic, neural, behavior, and environment (from Gottlieb, 2007) 3

Influences on the Development of Self-Regulation Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on the development of selfregulation Gottlieb s Developmental Systems Model Emphasis on co-action

4 Influences on the Development of Self-Regulation Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on the development of selfregulation Gottlieb s Developmental Systems Model Emphasis on co-action among levels, defined as a bidirectional relationship between two or more components of the developmental system Individual development as characterized by probabilistic epigenesis 4

5 Intrinsic: Genetic Influences on Self-Regulation Identical twins are more temperamentally similar than fraternal twins (e.g., activity level, shyness, irritability) Goldsmith et al. (1999); Emde et al. (1992); Saudino and Eaton. (1991). Neuromodulator receptor function predicts emotion regulation behavior Dopamine (COMT) Serotonin (5-HTT) Acetylcholine Kochanska, Philibert, and Barry. (2009); Goldsmith, Pollak, and Davidson. (2008); Canli and Lesch. (2007). 5

6 Intrinsic: Physiological Influences on Self-Regulation Inhibitory activity of the parasympathetic nervous system Activation of the PNS promotes a calm behavioral state and focused attention to objects and people Porges. (2007); Calkins et al. (2007); Huffman et al. (1998); Stifter and Fox. (1990); Stifter, Fox, and Porges, (1989). Excitatory activity of the sympathetic nervous system and neuroendocrine pathways (e.g., HPA axis) Exaggerated or prolonged reactivity without recovery is associated with overarousal and emotion dysregulation Granger et al. (2007); Repetti, Taylor, and Seeman. (2002); Chatterton et al. (1996); Granger, Weisz, and Kauneckis. (1994); Stansbury and Gunnar. (1994). 6

7 Intrinsic: Temperament Influences on Self-Regulation Greater negative reactivity to frustration in infancy (5 months) was related to the use of fewer regulation behaviors at 10 months, such as self-soothing; also, infants who are easily frustrated are less likely to use distraction or redirection of attention Calkins and Dedmon. (2002); Calkins and Johnson. (1998); Braungart-Rieker and Stifter. (1996). Inhibited children who exhibit more intense fear reactivity typically display more avoidance regulation due to lack of approach to novel objects or people versus a surgent (uninhibited) child Amodio et al. (2008); Kagan. (1999); Kagan. (1987). 7

8 Extrinsic: Care Giving Influences on Self-Regulation Quality of interactions with caregivers impacts regulatory development as regulation skills are modeled by the parent Shapes the infant s interpretation of affect-eliciting events and emotional responses Responsive care giving coupled with positive guidance undergirds the development of appropriate self-regulatory behavior and emotional control (Fox and Calkins, 2003) Over-control (harsh or negative control) on the part of the caregiver is related to young children who employ maladaptive strategies in situations that call for self-regulation (Calkins et al., 1998; Crockenberg and Littman, 1990) 8

9 Extrinsic: SES Influences on Self-Regulation Low SES environments may present Physical (e.g., substandard housing, noise, ambient pollutants) stressors Psychosocial (e.g., family conflict, parental mental health) stressors Both impact the care giving environment and children s experience with emotion-eliciting contexts Sources: Raver. (2004); Martini, Root, and Jenkins. (2004); McLoyd. (1990). 9

10 Extrinsic: Cultural Influences on Self-Regulation Cultural context impacts the development of selfregulation through Transmission of cultural display rules (e.g., when and how to hide, mask, and control emotion expressions) Caregiver practices in regard to how best and when to soothe a child Caregiver practices in sleeping arrangements E.g., co-sleeping Source: Fox and Calkins. (2003). 10

11 Biological Sensitivity to Context DNA illustration is public domain. Factory by ElitePete via flickr.com. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA. 11

12 GxE and Self-Regulation Diathesis stress model Susceptibility to environmental adversity depends on individual vulnerabilities At-risk versus resilient individuals Zuckerman. (1999); Monroe and Simons. (1991). Adaptive phenotypic plasticity Until recently, studies have not considered the full range of environments and focused almost exclusively on adverse early environments Susceptibility to take in features of a supportive or enriched environment may enhance development, including selfregulation behaviors Ellis et al. (2011); Boyce and Ellis. (2005). 12

13 Meaney s Rodent Model Epigenetic regulation in physiological and behavioral reactivity and regulation by maternal behavior Observed maternal behaviors in the first 10 days of life Indexed L-HPA axis and behavioral reactivity of offspring dependent on maternal LG-ABN behavior Intergenerational transmission, cross-fostering studies Sources: Meaney and Szyf. (2005); Weaver et al. (2004); Champagne et al. (2003); Meaney. (2001); Anisman et al. (1998); Liu et al. (1997). 13

14 Rodent Model of Adaptive Phenotypic Plasticity r strategy (high ecological stress and instability) K strategy (stable, predictable ecology) licking and grooming of pups, arched-back nursing licking and grooming of pups, arched-back nursing Offspring have glucocorticoid receptor expression, SAM and HPA reactivity More fearful behavior, earlier puberty among females, parental investment Offspring have glucocorticoid receptor expression, startle response, resistance to illness More exploration in novel environments, pregnancy rates following mating 14

15 The Orchid or the Dandelion Child? Photo by craigie3000. Creative Commons BY. Photo by Doug Wheller. Creative Commons BY-NC. 15

16 GxE and Self-Regulation 16

17 GxE and Self-Regulation 17

18 GxE and Self-Regulation 18

19 Boyce and Ellis Human Model Exposure to childhood adversity and adjustment at age 5 years Children with high cortisol reactivity were rated by teachers as least prosocial when living under adverse conditions Most prosocial when living under more benign conditions This pattern held when comparing high-reactivity children to those children scoring low on cortisol reactivity Source: Obradovic, Bush, Stamperdahl, Adler, and Boyce. (2010). 19

20 Concluding Remarks Temperament influences the way infants emotionally respond to the world The ability to self-regulate one s emotions is an emergent skill, shaped by the coaction of individual factors and the early environment Emotional self-regulation is one of the primary developmental tasks of early childhood Control arousal Enable readiness for learning Support social relationships Sources: Kopp. (1982 and 1989); Thompson. (1994); Kopp and Neufeld. (2003). 20

21 Concluding Remarks Infancy and early childhood are plastic phases of development, these systems exhibit biological sensitivity to context; thus they are malleable and potentially responsive to early intervention Intervention efforts aimed at bolstering regulatory development should include parent components and consider individual differences in infants and young children 21

Section B. Self-Regulation, Attention, and Problem Solving

Section B. Self-Regulation, Attention, and Problem Solving This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. Your use of this material constitutes acceptance of that license and the conditions of use of materials on this