Co-Development of Neurocognitive and Physiological Indicators of Self-Regulation

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究试图通过利用自我调节的神经认知和生理测量，并考察它们在显著可塑性(神经和行为)和CMS快速发展时期的共同发展，来提高我们对自我调节及其在新出现的心理健康问题中的作用的理解。努力控制(EC)和呼吸性窦性心律失常(RSA)分别是认知调节和情绪调节的指标。尽管确凿的证据表明，自我调节的这些组成部分是相互关联的，但几乎没有研究考察幼儿EC和RSA的共同发展。具体地说，很少有研究研究EC和RSA如何随着时间的推移发展、预测和潜在地塑造彼此。研究EC发育中的个体差异如何预测RSA的变化，反之亦然，可能会澄清特定的注意力、行为和/或情绪调节缺陷是如何发展起来的。低EC和RSA与心理健康问题有关，包括焦虑、抑郁和外在问题。研究自我调节的神经认知和生理指标如何预测幼儿并发和后来的心理健康问题，可能会确定精神病理学发展的关键机制，并指出潜在的干预目标。这项拟议的研究将在三个时间点对174个有3岁孩子的家庭进行评估。三分之二的样本将是低收入或贫困背景的家庭。与低收入和贫困环境相关的压力将增加儿童情绪和行为问题的发生率，并增加对非典型自我调节发展的观察。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This study seeks to improve our understanding of self-regulation and its role in emerging mental health problems by utilizing neurocognitive and physiological measures of self-regulation and examining their co- development during a period of marked plasticity (both neural and behavioral) and rapid CMS development. Effortful control (EC) and respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA) are indicators of cognitive and emotion regulation, respectively. Despite solid evidence that these components of self-regulation are interrelated, there is almost no research examining the co-development of EC and RSA in young children. Specifically, there is little research examining how EC and RSA develop, predict, and potentially shape one another over time. Examining how individual differences in the development of EC predict changes in RSA, and vice versa, might clarify how particular deficits of attention, behavioral and/or emotional regulation develop. Low EC and RSA have been linked to mental health problems including anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems. Examining how neurocognitive and physiological indicators of self-regulation predict concurrent and later mental health problems in young children may identify key mechanisms in the development of psychopathology, and point to potential targets of intervention. The proposed research will assess 174 families with 3 year old children across three time points. Two thirds of the sample will be families of low-income or poverty backgrounds. Strains associated with low- income and poverty environments will increase the incidence of emotional and behavioral problems in children and observation of atypical self-regulatory development.