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The development of self-regulation in the first four years of life
G Kochanska1, K C Coy, K T Murray
1Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1407, USA. grazyna-kochanska@uiowa.edu
Insights
This study shows that committed compliance, a child
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Self-regulation is crucial for child development.
- Understanding the nuances of compliance and internalization is key to early behavioral development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine the development of self-regulation in young children.
- To investigate committed and situational compliance in "Do" and "Don't" contexts.
- To explore the link between compliance and internalization of maternal rules.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 108 children from 14 to 45 months of age.
- Observation of committed compliance, situational compliance, and internalization in "Do" and "Don't" contexts.
- Assessment of children's fearfulness and effortful control.
Main Results:
- The "Do" context was more challenging than the "Don't" context for all children.
- Girls showed higher committed compliance than boys.
- Committed compliance, unlike situational compliance, was linked to internalization of maternal rules, showing context specificity and longitudinal stability.
Conclusions:
- Committed compliance is a significant predictor of internalized self-regulation.
- Developmental trajectories of compliance are context-dependent.
- Early compliance behaviors may generalize to other social interactions.
Abstract:
This study examined longitudinally the development of self-regulation in 108 young children during the first 4 years of life. Children's committed compliance (when they eagerly embraced maternal agenda) and situational compliance (when they cooperated, but without a sincere commitment) were studied. Both forms of compliance were observed in "Do" contexts, in which the mothers requested that the children sustain unpleasant, tedious behavior, and in "Don't" contexts, in which they requested that the children suppress pleasant, attractive behavior. Children's internalization while alone in the similar contexts was also studied. Parallel assessments were conducted when the children were 14, 22, 33, and 45 months of age. At all ages, the Do context was much more challenging for children than the Don't context. Girls surpassed boys in committed compliance. Both forms of compliance were longitudinally stable, but only within a given context. Children's fearfulness and effortful control, observed and mother reported, correlated positively with committed compliance, but mostly in the Don't context. Committed, but not situational, compliance was linked to children's internalization of maternal rules, observed when the children were alone in the Do and Don't contexts. These links were both concurrent and longitudinal, context specific, and significant even after controlling for maternal power assertion. There was modest preliminary evidence that committed compliance may generalize to interactions with adults other than the mother.