Wait and see: Observational learning of emotion regulation strategies in young children

情绪调节被广泛认为是儿童、青少年和成人心理健康的关键因素。情绪调节功能障碍与整个生命周期的精神障碍有关。情绪调节的发展是一个漫长的过程，从婴儿早期开始。然而，令人惊讶的是，很少有人知道的学习过程，可能会决定哪些情绪调节策略的幼儿使用时，面对令人沮丧的情况。因此，拟议项目的主要目的是调查在何种情况下，2岁和2.5岁的儿童学习情绪调节策略在一次性观察学习情景。在三项研究中，儿童将经历两种旨在引起挫折的情况，即他们将不得不等待有吸引力的奖励。在两种等待情境之间，孩子们将观察一个模特如何经历类似的等待情境，并演示他或她在等待过程中如何分散自己的注意力。在观察学习场景中，模型的身份（例如，实验者、护理者）和呈现模式（现场与图画书中）将在条件和研究之间变化。在研究1和2中，对照组的儿童将经历等待的情况，而没有观察学习场景。我们预测，儿童使用自我分心只会增加后，经历了观察学习的情况。我们将探讨哪种模式和哪种学习情境的呈现方式最有利于学习。在研究3中，我们将评估儿童气质与观察学习情境结构之间的关系。我们预测，儿童受益于观察性学习的情况下，如果有他们的气质和模型的行为之间的匹配。本研究的结果将有助于提高我们对情绪调节的理解，并有助于发展心理干预，促进幼儿心理健康。

Emotion regulation is widely regarded as a crucial factor for mental health in children, adolescents and adults. Dysfunctional Emotion regulation is associated with mental disorder across the whole life span. The development of emotion regulation is a protracted process, starting in early infancy. However, surprisingly little is known about learning processes that might determine which emotional regulation strategies young children use when confronted with frustrating situations. Therefore, the main aim of the proposed project will be to investigate under which circumstances 2- and 2.5-year-old children learn an emotion regulation strategy in one-shot observational learning scenarios. In three studies, children will experience two situations designed to elicit frustration that is, they will have to have to wait for attractive rewards. Between the two waiting situations, children will observe how a model experiences a similar waiting situation and demonstrates how he or she distracts herself during the wait. In the observational learning scenario, the identity of the model (e.g., experimenter, caregiver) and the mode of presentation (live vs. in a picture book) will vary between conditions and studies. In Studies 1 and 2, children in control groups will experience the waiting situations without the observational learning scenario in between. We predict that childrens use of self-distraction will only increase after experiencing the observational learning scenario. We will explore which models and which mode of presentation of the learning situation is most favourable for learning. In Study 3, we will assess relations between childrens temperament and the structure of an observational learning situation. We predict that children benefit more from an observational learning situation if there is a match between their temperamental disposition and the models behaviour. The results of our study will improve our understanding of emotion regulation and will help to develop psychological intervention for the promotion of mental health in early childhood.