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Updated: Jul 1, 2025
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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
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Vocabulary size predicts behavioral problems in emotionally reactive children
Madeleine Bruce1, Briana Ermanni2, Martha Ann Bell2
1University of Utah, Department of Psychology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
|March 11, 2024
Summary
Early vocabulary skills buffer against behavioral problems in preschoolers with high negative emotionality. This finding highlights the protective role of language development in children prone to emotional reactivity.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems increase risks for academic and socioemotional difficulties.
- Children's language skills and emotional reactivity predict later behavioral issues.
- The interaction between vocabulary and negative emotionality in early childhood behavioral development is under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if preschool vocabulary size moderates the relationship between negative emotional reactivity and behavioral problems in early school years.
- To examine the predictive role of early language skills on later internalizing and externalizing problems.
- To understand the interplay of vocabulary, emotional reactivity, and behavioral development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 256 typically developing children from age 3 to 6.
- Linear regression analyses controlling for socioeconomic background and preschool behavioral problems.
- Assessment of vocabulary size and negative emotional reactivity at age 3, and behavioral problems at age 6.
Main Results:
- Moderate stability in internalizing and externalizing problems was observed between ages 3 and 6.
- A significant interaction effect was found: larger vocabulary predicted fewer behavioral problems, but only for children with high negative emotional reactivity.
- Early vocabulary acquisition acts as a buffer against behavioral problems in children with higher negative emotionality.
Conclusions:
- Early vocabulary acquisition can mitigate the risk of behavioral problems in emotionally reactive children.
- Language development plays a crucial role in socioemotional adjustment.
- Findings suggest targeted interventions focusing on language and emotional regulation for at-risk children.
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