Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Bidirectional effects between expressive regulatory abilities and peer acceptance among Chinese adolescents
Yingqian Wang1, Skyler T Hawk2, Wenqing Zong2
1Department of Psychology, School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 100081, China; Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
Abstract:
The current study examined potential bidirectional effects between adolescents' expressive regulation (the ability to enhance and suppress overt emotional behavior in line with situational demands) and peer interactions via two experiments. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that adolescents' expressive regulation affects their social acceptance from peers. Participants (N = 147) were randomly divided into three conditions and watched video clips in which a same-sex partner differed in his or her levels of expressive enhancement and suppression abilities. Results showed that participants reported greater liking of the partner when he or she was able to flexibly enhance and suppress emotional expressions in line with situational demands compared with when either one of these abilities was impaired. Experiment 2 then examined whether peer rejection reduced participants' enhancement and suppression abilities. We manipulated participants' feelings of rejection through a virtual Cyberball game. Following this manipulation (N = 100; Inclusion vs. Exclusion), we tested participants' expressive enhancement and suppression abilities, as well as their natural expressivity, via an observational task. Peer exclusion resulted in lower levels of enhancement ability and natural expressive behaviors but did not impair suppression ability. The results of these experiments suggest that both expressive enhancement and expressive suppression are important for adolescents to obtain higher peer acceptance. In addition, peer exclusion also caused impairments in expressive regulation, specifically reduced enhancement abilities. In summary, these results evidenced the bidirectional effects between expressive regulation and peer acceptance.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Relationship Formation

