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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
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Using temporal distancing to regulate emotion in adolescence: modulation by reactive aggression
S P Ahmed1, L H Somerville2, C L Sebastian1
1a Department of Psychology , Royal Holloway, University of London , Egham , UK.
Cognition & Emotion
|August 18, 2017
Summary
Projecting yourself further into the future effectively reduces distress. This temporal distancing is less effective for individuals with higher reactive aggression, impacting emotion regulation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Temporally distant perspective-taking reduces distress in adults.
- Adolescence is associated with reduced future-thinking and poorer emotion regulation.
- Reactive aggression is linked to impaired emotional control and future-oriented cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate if the extent of future projection influences temporal distancing efficacy.
- Examine the moderating effects of age and reactive aggression on temporal distancing.
- Understand the mechanism linking reactive aggression to poor emotional control.
Main Methods:
- 83 adolescents and young adults (aged 12-22) participated.
- Participants rated negative affect under distant-future, near-future, and natural reaction conditions.
- Self-report measures and skin conductance were used to assess distress.
Main Results:
- Significant downregulation of negative affect was observed in the distant-future condition.
- Greater projection into the future correlated with greater distress reduction.
- Temporal distancing efficacy did not vary with age.
- Higher reactive aggression was associated with reduced distancing efficacy and shorter future projection.
Conclusions:
- The extent of future projection is crucial for effective temporal distancing.
- Reactive aggression may impair emotion regulation by hindering temporal distancing.
- Findings suggest a potential mechanism for emotional dysregulation in reactive aggression.
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