Roles of Executive Functioning and Language in Developing Low-Income Preschoolers' Behavior and Emotion Regulation

Young children's regulation of their behaviors and emotions is a foundational skill that undergirds learning, academic achievement, and social competence (Bierman & Erath, 2006; McClelland et al., 2018). Executive functioning (EF) and language are two cognitive skillsets that facilitate behavior and emotion regulation (Blair & Ursache, 2011; Cole, Armstrong, & Pemberton, 2010). What is not yet fully understood is how these two skillsets may work together to promote these regulatory skills. The present study investigated the independent and interactive contributions of EF and language skills at preschool entry to the development of behavior and emotion regulation across the year in a primarily low-income sample. Results indicated that language at preschool entry was associated with children's emotion regulation development during preschool, especially for children who entered preschool with low EF. As such, incorporating language-promoting activities into early childhood interventions designed to facilitate emotion regulation may enhance efficacy, particularly for children at risk for later emotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties due to low emerging EF skills. Unexpectedly, language was not associated with behavior regulation, and EF was not independently linked to behavior or emotion regulation in this sample.