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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Children's conscience and self-regulation.

Grazyna Kochanska¹, Nazan Aksan

¹Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, USA. grazyna-kochanska@uiowa.edu

Journal of Personality

|November 7, 2006

Summary

Children

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Child Psychology
Moral Development

Background:

Conscience is a key self-regulation system in children.
It comprises moral emotions and conduct.
Understanding its development is crucial for child psychology.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the components and development of early childhood conscience.
To identify factors influencing individual differences in conscience.
To explore the interplay between temperament and socialization.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal studies covering the first six years of life.
Analysis of moral emotions (e.g., guilt) and moral conduct.
Investigation of temperamental factors (fearfulness, effortful control) and socialization (parental discipline, relationship quality).

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Main Results:

Conscience is organized around moral emotions and conduct.
Early conscience reflects a child's willingness to engage in socialization.
Temperament and socialization significantly predict individual differences in conscience.

Conclusions:

Early conscience is a stable, organized personality system.
It emerges from the interaction of innate temperament and family socialization.
This research provides insights into the foundational aspects of children's moral development.